Lebanese Parliament meeting on April 18, 2023 in Beirut. (Credit: Nabil Ismail)
BEIRUT — Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Thursday scheduled a parliamentary legislative session for Monday, June 19, Berri's office reported.
Contacted by L'Orient Today, Berri's office said the meeting's agenda has not been fixed yet.
In February, 46 MPs issued a statement declaring their intentions to boycott all forthcoming legislative sessions in light of the presidential vacuum, as such meetings would “violate the constitution." Lebanon has been without a president since October 31, when Michel Aoun left office.
Despite the boycott announcement, Parliament met in April and extended the mandates of the country's municipal councils and those of the mukhtars, an extension that is valid for a maximum duration of one year.
On Wednesday, Parliament held its 12th presidential electoral session without success. According to the constitution, in the absence of a president, Parliament becomes an electoral body for a president.
On Thursday, the parliamentary committees held a joint meeting and approved a draft law that opens credit lines for the 2023 budget (that the government has not yet sent to the Parliament) "to cover certain additional expenses," which include "temporary financial compensation" for public servants, deputy Parliament Speaker Elias Bou Saab said.