Berri: Nominations Begin Feb. 5, No Time to Amend Electoral Law

Speaker Nabih Berri stressed Wednesday that there is no time left to amend the electoral law seeing as the nominations and electoral campaigns are scheduled to begin on February 5.

Noting that any amendments would lead to postponing the elections, Berri noted that “nominations begin on February 5 and come to an end on March 7, and the complete electoral lists are supposed to be submitted to the Interior Ministry by March 27.”

“Had we resorted to amendments, the law and the elections would have been thwarted,” Berri said during his weekly Ain el-Tineh meeting with lawmakers.

“The calendar stipulated by the law confirms that we have entered the elections phase. Any attempt or talk of amendments has become behind us and it would be inappropriate,” the Speaker added.

“Electoral campaigns cannot begin if the electoral law is undergoing changes,” Berri pointed out.

Free Patriotic Movement chief and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil has recently called for amending the law to expand the deadline for expat voting registration, but Berri has warned that any amendments would practically lead to postponing the elections.

Bassil's suggestion has been referred to a ministerial panel tasked with studying the implementation of the new electoral law.