Lebanese parliament Speaker Nabih Berri urged the rival Christian parties to reconsider their decision regarding an upcoming parliamentary session to endorse draft-laws.
“I have carried out my duties… we prepared the session’s agenda… I am waiting for everyone to reconsider their stances, as I will not contact anyone anymore and will not discuss it,” Berri stressed in comments published Friday.
“I will not call for a parliamentary session anymore after the Free Patriotic Movement joined the Phalange and Lebanese Forces parties in their decision to boycott it… It will be unconstitutional,” Berri said.
He threatened to dissolve the assembly once a new head of state is elected and said let them test me.”
Berri has reportedly been recently annoyed with the Christian parliamentary blocs’ decision to boycott a session during which he intends approve the wage scale for the public sector and the food safety draft-laws.
The LF and its old-time rival the FPM will boycott the session over the agenda. The LF is calling for the adoption of a new electoral law, while the FPM wants the amendment of the defense law.
On the other hand, the Phalange party rejects to attend the session as the “parliament should be only considered as an electoral body and not a legislature” in the absence of a president.
“I have agreed to urgent legislating to preserve the nation’s best interest although there’s no such thing… I made compromises,” Berri said.
The vacuum over the presidential post is having a tough impact on the cabinet and the parliament as the state is threatened with further crises over ongoing rows between the rival parties.
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