Merehbi Walks Out Angrily of Parliament Session over Akkar Funds
Akkar MP and State Minister for Refugee Affairs Moein al-Merehbi walked out angrily of a parliament session on Thursday evening in protest at failure to earmark funds for projects in the impoverished regions of Akkar and Baalbek-Hermel.
Speaker Nabih Berri clarified that the law prevents the Parliament from adding funds to the state budget, but Merehbi walked out, announcing “his withdrawal from his ministerial and parliamentary posts.”
Merehbi however returned to the session after a brief time following mediations from some al-Mustaqbal Movement figures.
The Parliament has been debating the 2017 draft state budget since Tuesday.
Lebanon has not had a state budget since 2005 due to political bickering and disputes over financial auditing.
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