Berri to Call for Extraordinary Session if Joint Committees Make Progress on Electoral Law
Speaker Nabih Berri has said that he would ask the cabinet to open an extraordinary parliamentary session if the joint committees made progress in the discussions on the electoral draft-law.
Berri told his visitors in Ain el-Tineh that the work of the joint committees will not finish by the end of May, when parliament’s first ordinary session ends.
The second ordinary session starts in the middle of October through the end of December.
The speaker called the joint parliamentary committees to convene on Tuesday to address electoral draft-laws.
“If the atmosphere is positive, the government would be asked to open an extraordinary round of legislation or else we will wait till October for the second ordinary session,” Berri said.
The speaker made a rare press conference on Monday, backing off from calling for legislative sessions to approve what he terms as urgent bills, and instead urged joint committees to mull the electoral draft-laws.
His stance came after Christian parties warned that they would boycott any session which does not have the electoral draft-law as the first item on the agenda.
His decision also came after a ten-member committee, which includes MPs from the March 8 and March 14 camps and independents, has failed to reach an agreement on a unified electoral law.
Berri told his visitors that he has asked the parliament’s employees to print the 17 draft-laws to hand them over to the joint committees for discussion.
He said he was mulling whether to chair the meetings or task his deputy MP Farid Makari.
“All the draft-laws will be discussed at the joint committees so that they are narrowed down before being referred to the General Assembly” for approval, Berri added.
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