Bassil Says Hizbullah Took Wrong Decisions Locally due to Regional Distractions
Free Patriotic Movement's Caretaker Minister Jebran Bassil denied on Thursday that the ties with Hizbullah and AMAL are shaky over the March 8 dispute on the 17-month parliamentary mandate extension, slamming the political pressure exerted on the members of the Constitutional Council.
“The dispute with Hizbullah over the 17-month parliamentary mandate extension is no secret,” Bassil told As Safir newspaper.
He pointed out that the “extension decision is wrong... Hizbullah's regional distractions made the party take wrong decisions locally.”
Lawmakers extended their mandate end of May by pushing the parliamentary elections to November 2014.
The move came as a result of the failure of the rival parties to agree on a new law to govern the polls and amid the rejection of the implementation of the 1960 law that was used in the 2009 elections.
However, Bassil said that there's no rift between Speaker Nabih Berri and the FPM over the broad headlines, saying that the disputes are over the details.
“If they think they are avoiding obstacles by their decision, they will find out later on that they will have to confront larger obstructions,” the caretaker minister said.
He noted that “the speaker says that holding elections based on the 1960 electoral law is the same as extending the legislature's term then the polls must take place to avoid a major constitutional sin.”
Bassil pointed out that the FPM would agree to the 17-month extension if lawmakers agree to carry out the polls based on a new electoral law.
He slammed the constitutional council, describing it as “merely a spectator.”
The council failed on Wednesday for the second day in a row to meet to issue a decision on two petitions filed against the 17-month extension of the legislature's term.
Three judges – two Shiites and one Druze – boycotted the meetings to prevent a quorum, a sign of political interference.
The challenges were made on June 1 and 3 respectively by President Michel Suleiman and the Change and Reform bloc of Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Michel Aoun.
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