Berri Says Has Right to Call for June 5 Session, Vows to Prevent 'Anything Sectarian' in Electoral Law
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday pledged to block “anything sectarian” in the electoral law as he refused the moving of certain seats from one electoral district to another.
Defending his call for a June 5 parliamentary session although the legislature's regular session ends on May 31, Berri revealed at a rare press conference that he called Prime Minister Saad Hariri to discuss the issue of opening an extraordinary legislative session after telling MP George Adwan that he had agreed to his electoral proposal.
“Hariri then told me that he had sent a draft decree to open an extraordinary session to the president but I did not receive any confirmation from His Excellency,” Berri added.
He explained that Article 59 of the Constitution allows him to call for an extraordinary session should an absolute majority of MPs sign the necessary decree.
“Only God knows why President Aoun has not signed a decree to open an extraordinary session,” Berri added.
“If this is aimed at pressing parliament to pass a law, no one can put pressure on parliament except the people,” the speaker stressed.
He also emphasized that he will “exert utmost efforts to shun an extension of parliament's term and the 1960 law as well as anything sectarian in the electoral law.”
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