Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati in front of the al-Omari mosque in Beirut, Sept. 10, 2021. (Credit: AFP)
BEIRUT — Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Thursday scheduled a cabinet meeting for Tuesday April 18 at 3:30 p.m. to discuss funding for next month's municipal elections and other socioeconomic issues.
The last item of the agenda distributed by the Grand Serail to cabinet ministers Thursday was "the request of the interior minister regarding the coverage of municipal elections expenses."
The decision comes shortly after Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri scheduled a legislative session the same day at 11 a.m. without an agenda yet in place. A source at Parliament told L'Orient Today that the agenda will be decided in a meeting for Parliament's Bureau Office scheduled around 2 p.m.
At the 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.
Cabinet is also set to discuss other items including the monetary and financial situation of the public sector and its retirees, the minimum wage for people included in the labor law, the payment of chronic diseases medicines and paying dues to the contractor responsible for collecting trash and sweeping in Beirut.