Report: Kataeb Ministers to Refrain from Signing Laws

The Kataeb Party has taken the decision to abstain from signing laws and projects at cabinet in protest against the ongoing presidential vacuum, reported the daily An Nahar on Thursday.

The party deemed last week's legislative session as illegal due to the ongoing vacancy in the presidency, which therefore renders as “unconstitutional” addressing the decrees and laws that were tackled at the session.

Such a step will complicate the adoption of the laws, especially since some of them require the signatures of all ministers because the cabinet is playing the role of the president in the absence of a head of state, explained An Nahar.

Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor.

Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate have thwarted the polls.

The parliament held a legislative session last week to tackle pending draft laws.

The meeting was boycotted by the Kataeb Party because it deems holding legislative sessions in the absence of a president as illegal.

It said that parliament should have convened to elect a new head of state instead of approving draft laws.

Prior to last week's meeting, parliament had not held a legislative session since November 2014.

M.T.

D.A.