MPs say caretaker govt. legitimate as Berri sets presidential vote session
Parliament recommended Thursday that cabinet continue its work in caretaker capacity after it discussed a letter by ex-President Michel Aoun concerning the resignation of the caretaker cabinet.
The caretaker cabinet can only convene in extraordinary cases, parliament said.
"The reluctance to form a cabinet was a major blow to the constitution and everyone agreed today that cabinet can no longer meet unless there’s an emergency," Free Patriotic Movement Jebran Bassil said in a press conference after the session.
Al-Kataeb MPs, the Change MPs and MPs Ashraf Rifi and Michel Mouawad walked out of the session and said that parliament must only convene to elect a new president.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri called for an election session on Thursday, November 10. He said he hoped these sessions won't turn into a "theatrical show."
The date of the election session, a week from now, would give the MPs time for consultations, Bassil said.
Berri had considered a national dialogue to choose a president but then backed down from the idea, as the FPM and the Lebanese Forces refused it.
Media reports said that Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab suggested to replace the national dialogue with consultations and that Berri asked him to proceed with this initiative.
Source: Naharnet
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://naharnet.com/stories/en/293482 |