Berri Says Hopes to Use Rejection of Extension as 'Pressure Card'
Speaker Nabih Berri has said that his rejection to extend parliament's term should be used as a “pressure card” to speed up the election of a new president.
Local dailies on Wednesday quoted Berri as saying that the vacuum at Baabda Palace would remain if the legislature's term was extended for the second time.
He made similar remarks to lawmakers who visited him in Ain el-Tineh.
Zahle MP Nicolas Fattoush proposed on Tuesday a draft-law for the extension by more than two years, citing security concerns.
He said the current security situation does not allow holding the parliamentary elections scheduled in November.
Berri stressed that even if parliament approved the draft-law, it could be rejected by the cabinet.
Lebanon plunged in a vacuum on May 25 when President Michel Suleiman's six-year term ended with MPs unable to find a successor over differences on a compromise candidate.
“If we go ahead with the extension, what are the guarantees that it will lead to the election of a president?” Berri asked, saying that last year’s extension led to the obstruction of parliament’s role.
He expressed fears that Lebanon would witness a political crisis similar to Iraq if the parliamentary and presidential elections were not held.
Berri revealed that he agreed with al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri during talks they held on Sunday on the priority to elect a head of state and reactivate state institutions.
Asked by the visiting lawmakers about the dispute on the wage scale for the public sector, Berri said the solution would be for lawmakers to attend a parliamentary session to adopt the raise.
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