LF says consultations not obligatory, tells Berri to call for successive electoral rounds

The Lebanese Forces on Monday hit back at remarks by Speaker Nabih Berri, stressing that the “consultations” that he is calling for are not “obligatory as he is saying.”

“There is not any constitutional text that says that ‘consultations are the obligatory pathway’ and we call on Speaker Berri and others to abide by the constitution and its texts,” the LF’s media department added in a statement.

“Consultations over the presidential juncture have been ongoing since the period that preceded the presidential vacuum, but these consultations have run into and are still running into the obstruction of electoral sessions on the one hand and insistence on a single candidate on the other hand, despite the inability to elect him (Suleiman Franjieh),” the LF added.

“The way to break the presidential deadlock is very easy, which is for Speaker Berri to call for an electoral session with successive rounds until a president is elected, and for the MPs of Sepaker Berri and the Axis of Defiance to take part in all the rounds and give up their obstructive approach,” the party said.