Berri says elections on time, even 'technical' delay not possible

Speaker Nabih Berri stressed Monday that the May parliamentary elections will be held on time and that even a “technical” delay is not possible.

“There is a law that is in force,” Berri said of the electoral law.

“There will be no postponement, neither a technical one nor for other reasons,” Berri told reporters in Ain el-Tineh.

In remarks to Asharq al-Awsat newspaper published earlier in the day, Berri had accused a “certain party” of seeking to force the postponement of the elections, after the Ministry of Justice's Legislation and Consultations Authority answered Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar's question regarding the right of expats residing abroad to vote from their place of residence for the 128 parliamentary seats.

"This is the first time we have heard of a judge suspending the implementation of the law instead of ensuring its application. It cannot be circumvented with a non-binding consultation. The Authority's response indicates a plan to prevent the parliamentary elections from being held on time, and its issuance was at the behest of a certain party," Berri said.

"It didn't come out of the air, nor is it based on mere speculation. Rather, it came at the behest of a party that is planning in advance to halt the elections and prevent them from being held on time,” Berri added.

He pointed out that he has personally launched his candidacy for the parliamentary elections out of his conviction of "the necessity of blocking all the talk and rumors that I favor extending the parliament's term, under the pretext that the Amal Movement is losing popularity and that it is not in our interest to hold elections.”

“However, we decided to resort to the ballot boxes, as they alone provide the answer to all these claims and desires," he added.

Meanwhile, although Minister Hajjar has received the Committee's response to his inquiry, he is hesitant to take a final stance on it, according to sources close to him who spoke to Asharq al-Awsat.

He prefers to consult with President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam regarding whether to include it on the Cabinet's agenda at a later session, or to raise it separately during Monday's session, which is dedicated to reviewing the details of the second phase of the plan prepared by the Army Command to complete the implementation of the state's monopoly on weapons, extending from north of the Litani River to the Awali River.