LF rejects Berri's call for dialogue, says it violates constitution
The Lebanese Forces said Tuesday that they will not participate in a parliamentary dialogue that Speaker Nabih Berri might call for.
Berri had announced last week that he would turn Thursday’s presidential election session into a parliamentary dialogue if the blocs agree to such a move.
"We categorically reject the call for a dialogue on Thursday," the LF said in a statement, as it described it as "a clear disruption to a constitutional requirement."
The statement warned against replacing the presidential election sessions with a dialogue, adding that those obstructing the election of a president must be held accountable, as they are exacerbating the economic crisis by extending the presidential vacuum.
The LF said it would not reject a dialogue in principle when held in the right time, asking Berri to withdraw his call for dialogue and to call instead for open sessions until a president is elected.
13 December 2022, 19:09
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The Constitution's Article 24 reserves half of parliamentary seats to Christians. The LF is the largest Christian party in the current parliament, with 19 of the 128 seats, indeed it is the largest party of any sect, which is odd, considering that Hezbullah represents Shia Muslims who are, according to Noam Chomsky, more than half the national population. Hezbullah holds 15 seats, although its coalition holds 61 or 62 seats, all numbers from various Wikipedia articles. I suspect Hezbullah divides its strength under various party names to avoid attacks from the US.
