Berri ready to convene legislative sessions 'whenever necessary'

BEIRUT — Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said on Thursday that he will convene Parliament for legislative sessions "whenever necessary." Several opposition MPs have raised objections to this idea on the basis that, according to the Constitution, Parliament can only act as an electoral college until the election of a new president to replace Michel Aoun, whose term ended on Oct. 31.

Berri made his remarks during an interview with the local daily al-Joumhouria, ahead of a sixth parliamentary session devoted to the election of a new president following five previous attempts that ended in failure. Lebanon is presently mired in a serious economic crisis and, for the first time in its history, is experiencing a total executive power vacuum, without a president and without a fully empowered cabinet since Najib Mikati's resigned in the wake of legislative elections in May and is now serving only in a caretaker capacity.

"I will convene a legislative session whenever necessary, as soon as the joint committees succeed in finalizing the draft law on capital control. I will then immediately convene a legislative session to vote on it," Berri said. The long awaited capital control law is one of the prerequisites to ensure an international financial rescue package for the country. It is also among the demands of account holders who have seen commercial banks impose ad hoc restrictions on their deposits since the onset of the country's financial crisis in 2019, rendering many account holders' savings almost completely inaccessible.

On Tuesday, some 20 MPs opposed to Hezbollah met to discuss the presidential election, including Kataeb MPs, Michel Moawad's Renewal group, as well as the bloc of opposition MPs. They warned against holding legislative sessions, as this would consecrate the vacuum in the presidency.

"The current atmosphere will only lead to the deepening of the country's crisis and will push it in dangerous directions," Berri warned, once again calling for consensus and dialogue to lead to the election of a new head of state. "The opportunity is offered to all to reach a consensus, to elect a president made in Lebanon," he added.

More than a week ago, the Parliament speaker and leader of the Hezbollah-allied Amal Movement, warned that "Lebanon can hold on for a few more weeks, but not more" in its current crisis state.

Until now, the MPs of Berri's group have cast blank ballots at the presidential electoral sessions.