Bassil: Parliament Extension Will Not Provide Political Stability
Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil reiterated the Change and Reform bloc's rejection of the extension of the term of parliament, warning that such a measure will only increase political tensions, reported the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat on Thursday.
He told the daily: “The extension will lead to more political instability.”
Those who approved the extension are extending the current status quo in anticipation of new conditions that will help them in their agendas, he explained.
They must realize that the extension will not lead to stability, he stressed.
Lebanon had an opportunity to stage the parliamentary elections and renew political life, but it lost it, remarked the minister.
“The elections could have created new circumstances in Lebanon that would have allowed for the formation of a productive national unity government” as opposed to the current “unproductive cabinet,” Bassil said.
“It is unproductive even though it provides continuity,” he stated.
Furthermore, the minister said that the Change and Reform bloc will not resign from the government or parliament despite the cancellation of the parliamentary polls.
The bloc is not linking the current government situation with the extension, he explained.
“The bloc's rejection of the extension stems from the dangers of such a measure, which eliminates democracy in a country that was among the first between Arab nations to adopt it,” Bassil added.
On Wednesday, parliament voted to extend its own term for another 27 months.
Free Patriotic Movement lawmakers from the Change and Reform bloc resorted to boycott while Marada Movement and Tashnag Party representatives in the bloc attended the session. But members of Marada leader Suleiman Franjieh's bloc voted for the extension as Tashnag's two lawmakers voted against it.
Last year, the parliament extended its term until November 2014 after the MPs failed to agree on a new law and claimed the security situation did not guarantee violence-free elections.
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