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POLITICAL CRISIS

Berri schedules Parliament session for April 18, hours before planned discussion of agenda

Berri schedules Parliament session for April 18, hours before planned discussion of agenda

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. (Credit: AFP file)

BEIRUT — Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has scheduled a Parliament session for next Tuesday, April 18, Berri's office said in a statement Thursday.

The announcement came hours before the Parliament Bureau Office was set to discuss the upcoming session's agenda. 

A source at Parliament told L'Orient Today that the Bureau office will still meet as planned Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m.

On top of the agenda, Parliament is expected to discuss and vote on the postponement of municipal elections, which were scheduled to start May 7.

Deputy Parliament Speaker Elias Bou Saab said Wednesday that "it has become nearly impossible" for Lebanon to hold the race, blaming Najib Mikati's caretaker cabinet for failing to secure the necessary funding. 

His statement comes a week after caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi nevertheless announced that the municipal elections "will be held on time" starting on May 7.

In February, 46 MPs stated that they would boycott all forthcoming legislative sessions in light of the presidential vacuum, as such meetings would “violate the constitution." If enforced, such a boycott would make Parliament lose its two-thirds quorum.

Lebanon has been without a president since Oct. 31, 2022, when Michel Aoun left office. According to the constitution, Parliament becomes an "electoral body" for the president in case of a vacuum.

Parliament has so far failed to elect a successor for Aoun. 

Correction: A previous version of this article stated erroneously that the Parliament Bureau Office would not meet on Thursday afternoon. 

BEIRUT — Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has scheduled a Parliament session for next Tuesday, April 18, Berri's office said in a statement Thursday. The announcement came hours before the Parliament Bureau Office was set to discuss the upcoming session's agenda. A source at Parliament told L'Orient Today that the Bureau office will still meet as planned Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m.On top of...