"The election process of Constitutional Council members was a sign of democracy," Suleiman told ministers at a Cabinet meeting held Saturday.
The daily An Nahar on Sunday said Suleiman's stance was meant as a response to those who claimed that Baabda was not content with the way the majority had bypassed a previous agreement on a number of candidates and imposed new names when they went to vote.
Lebanon's Information Minister TareK Mitri said following the meeting that a Cabinet session will be held soon to elect the remaining five members to the Constitutional Council.
The constitutional council should have 10 members . 5 to be chosen by the parliament and 5 by the cabinet .
The 1989 Taif accord called for the establishment of the Constitutional Council to “interpret the constitution, to observe the constitutionality of the laws, and to settle disputes and contests emanating from presidential and parliamentary elections.”
However, when the first Council was formed in 1990 under Article 19 of the constitution, its mandate was modified by a parliament jittery over the idea of granting an independent body such power, with the first clause - regarding the Council’s authority to interpret the constitution - removed. Instead, the Council’s duties were laid out as to “supervise the constitutionality of laws and to arbitrate conflicts that arise from parliamentary and presidential elections.”
Tags: Constittional Council, Parliament, source : Naharnet, Suleiman, Taif Accord, Ya Libnan
