Report: Constitution Grants President Powers to Open Extraordinary Session, Others Calls 'Invalid'

The country's constitution gives the President powers to open an extraordinary legislative session, thus rendering calls by other political parties “invalid,” al-Joumhouria daily reported on Tuesday.

Sources close to Baabda presidential palace stressed: “From the first moment, the President (Michel Aoun) announced that if the regular session of the parliament ends without a new vote law at hand, he is ready to sign a decree in agreement with the Prime Minister (Saad Hariri) to open an extraordinary session until June 20, exclusively to approve an election law.”

However they stressed that the step must be taken in accordance with the constitution, they said: “The matter is set but it should be carried out in line with Articles 31, 32, and 33 of the constitution that determine how the extraordinary session is opened, when it begins and ends and what items are on its agenda.”

Assigning a session “away from these norms is considered invalid and violates the law and constitution,” they added on condition of anonymity.

On Monday, Speaker Nabih Berri defended his call for a June 5 parliamentary session although the legislature's regular session ends on May 31.

Berri justified saying that although Prime Minister Saad Hariri had sent a draft decree to open an extraordinary session to Aoun, but Berri did not receive any confirmation from the president which compelled him to call for the June 5 session.

Berri's move triggered debate over jurisdictions to call for the session, as political parties struggle to agree on a new law to govern the parliamentary polls.