Geagea announces boycott of tomorrow's Parliament session

BEIRUT — Lebanese Forces (LF) leader Samir Geagea on Monday said his party will boycott the Parliament session scheduled for Tuesday. The session is set to discuss the proposed postponement of upcoming municipal elections.

In a news conference, Geagea said his party is boycotting the session due to the ongoing presidential vacuum. "Parliament is an electoral body, not a legislative one," he said, adding that "the extension of the municipal bodies is not constitutional at all."

Geagea added that there is no "justified reason for extension that would prevent the government from spending the money needed to hold the [municipal] elections."

Lebanon has been without a president since Michel Aoun's term ended on Oct. 31. A large number of political figures and MPs contend that, in accordance with the constitution, Parliament may only serve as an electoral body until a new president is elected, making all legislative sessions unconstitutional.

In his press conference, Geagea blamed the potential postponement of the municipal elections on "the axes of the moumanaa," a term used to describe Hezbollah and its allies as well as — in the case of Geagea — the Free Patriotic Movement.

Last week, a few hours after Tuesday's parliamentary session was scheduled, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced a cabinet session that would take place just hours after the Parliament session to discuss many items, including securing funding for municipal elections.

The head of the Lebanese Forces also expressed hope that the Progressive Socialist Party, the National Moderation bloc "and other independent blocs and MPs" would boycott the Parliament session.

Meanwhile, FPM leader Gebran Bassil took to Twitter to criticize the parties boycotting Tuesday's session.

"Why does the [FPM] always sacrifice for the common good when bidders and populists lie and benefit?" he wrote. "If we boycott the session, what will they do with the municipal vacuum — the [LF], Mikati, his interior minister, and his references — when there is no registration for any candidacy?! The easiest thing is to boycott the session and participate in the lying party."

Last week, Deputy Parliament Speaker Elias Bou Saab said that "it has become nearly impossible" for Lebanon to hold the municipal elections. Saab blamed Mikati's caretaker cabinet for this situation, saying it had failed to secure the necessary funding.

Saab's statement came a week after caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi nonetheless announced that municipal elections "will be held on time," starting on May 7.

In February, 46 MPs — including LF 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 cause Parliament to lose its two-thirds quorum. It is not clear whether all of those MPs will boycott Tuesday's parliamentary session.

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