Berri says elections to be held on time, 'no delay, no postponement, no extension'
Kataeb Party leader MP Sami Gemayel told Friday Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri that the right of the Lebanese expatriates to vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections would not "isolate" the Shiites. "The ones isolating them from the rest of the Lebanese are those who are rejecting the logic of the state and holding onto their arms," he said.
Gemayel said that Berri's opinion about the expats' voting does not grant him the right to refuse discussing it in Parliament in a plenary session.
"The Parliament is the body that represents all Lebanese and it consequently has the right to decide".
Berri had said if the expats want to vote for the 128 seats, they would have to come to Lebanon.
The current electoral law only allows expats to vote for six newly-introduced seats in parliament. Sixty-five MPs -- forming a parliamentary majority -- demanded to amend the law in order to allow expats to vote for all 128 seats.
Hezbollah and Amal argue that they do not enjoy the same campaigning freedom that other parties enjoy abroad and are objecting the amendment.
MP Ghassan Skaff suggested the elections be postponed for a few weeks in order for the expats to come vote in Lebanon, but Berri refused. He said The elections will not be postponed "not even for one day."
"The elections will be held on time. No delay, no postponement, no extension," he said.
Source: Naharnet
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