Constitutional Council Fails to Meet Again as Parliament Extension Law Becomes Valid
The parliament's extended 17-month term entered into force on Friday as the Constitutional Council failed to meet for the fourth and last time to issue a ruling on petitions filed against the extension.
The council's head, Judge Issam Suleiman, drafted a report to detail the reasons and the circumstances behind the failure to convene the 10-member body.
He referred it to President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri, caretaker Premier Najib Miqati and the Change and Reform bloc of MP Michel Aoun.
Later, the presidency confirmed receiving the report.
“The president calls on the parliament with the beginning of its extension term to immediately start discussions over the adoption of a new electoral law,” a statement issued by the presidency said.
The statement noted that “the parliament should shorten the extension timeframe by adopting a new vote law,” noting that an extraordinary parliamentary round will be set after discussions with the premiership to this end.
For the fourth time Friday, three judges – 2 Shiites and a Druze – boycotted the meetings of the council after coming under political pressure aimed at preventing a ruling in favor of the petitions filed by President Suleiman and the Change and Reform bloc.
The approval or the rejection of the challenges required the go-ahead of seven out of the council's half-Christian and half-Muslim members. But an eight-member quorum was needed for the body to convene.
The lack of quorum made the 17-month extension law, which was approved by parliament end of May, valid after the end of parliament's mandate at midnight Thursday.
The parliamentary elections will now be held in November 2014.
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