Berri's Panel Says All Blocs to Attend Presidential Electoral Session
A parliamentary committee formed by Speaker Nabih Berri announced Monday that all the parliamentary blocs it has met with have promised to attend the first parliamentary session to elect a new president, which the speaker is expected to schedule "between April 15 and April 30."
Following talks with Berri in Ain el-Tineh, panel member MP Yassine Jaber said: "We briefed him on the outcome of our consultations and on all the viewpoints that we heard."
The speaker is "preparing to call for the first session once the legislative meetings end, and I believe that will happen after April 15 – between April 15 and April 30,” Jaber, who is a member of Berri's Development and Liberation bloc, added.
“It is obvious that most or all blocs are inclined to attend and the rest of things are for the speaker to decide on,” the lawmaker stated.
Asked whether he meant consensus by “the rest of things,” Jaber said: “The committee did not in any way discuss the issue of names and candidates and talks focused on the issue of securing quorum and holding the presidential election.”
Responding to a reporter who asked him to confirm whether all blocs would attend the electoral session, Jaber said: “This is the impression that we had from these consultations.”
Berri had formed the panel – which also comprises his bloc's MPs Michel Moussa and Ali Osserian – on March 24, with the aim of exploring the stances of the various parliamentary blocs on the presidential vote.
The constitutional timeframe to elect a successor to President Michel Suleiman began on March 25, amid the president's refusal of any extension of his term -- which ends May 25.
Until the moment, only Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has officially nominated himself for the presidency. A presidential candidate must obtain two thirds of the votes of the 128-member legislature in the first round to be elected while only 65 votes are required in the second round.
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