Berri: Parliamentary Polls to Be Held on Schedule
Speaker Nabih Berri said the Lebanese face a crucial stage until the year's end and must drive lessons from the regional happenings which compel them to focus on their country's interest and end the political and institutional crisis, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Friday.
“A crucial stage awaits us until the end of the year and it compels the Lebanese to prioritize an overall solution and to drive lessons from the regional happenings obligating them to turn their attention to their country's interest,” Berri told his visitors.
“A solution cannot be complete unless an agreement is reached on the package deal starting with the election of a president,” added Berri.
The Speaker had launched an initiative earlier aimed at ending the political impasse. He called for shortening the term of parliament and that the elections be held based on the 1960 law should political forces fail to agree on a new electoral one.
He also called for staging the presidential elections after the parliamentary polls and forming a national unity government.
“The parliamentary elections will be held on time. The parliament’s term will not be extended no matter what,” remarked Berri.
He pointed out to a worn out economic and financial situation which he said “requires radical solutions especially that Lebanon has a number of obligations in the coming year worth more than seven billion dollars.”
The parliamentary elections are due in May 2017.
Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, MP Michel Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum.
The prolonged presidential vacuum has hampered the work of the cabinet and rendered the parliament incapable of passing critical legislation.
Al-Mustaqbal Movement chief Saad Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Marada Movement chief Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah.
Hariri's move prompted Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival.
The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.
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