Members of Parliament from the opposition and the Lebanese Forces during the legislative session held at Nejmeh Square, on May 15, 2025. (Credit: Ali Fawaz/Parliament)
"The Parliament speaker is a baltaji [thug in Arabic] who takes Parliament hostage and wants to muzzle the MPs ... It's shameful." These were the words of Cynthia Zarazir, a Beirut deputy from the opposition, commenting to the press on the parliamentary session held Thursday at Nejmeh Square. The chamber was the scene of a heated debate around a bill providing for tax and fee exemptions for people affected by the recent war with Israel. But it was the voting process of the text that sparked the anger of several MPs. The reason was that Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri once again relied on his famous hasty "soddeq" ["approved"] to pass the text even before the MPs finished voting. But he was quickly forced to backtrack: Under parliamentary and ministerial pressure, he had to suspend the debate pending the...
"The Parliament speaker is a baltaji [thug in Arabic] who takes Parliament hostage and wants to muzzle the MPs ... It's shameful." These were the words of Cynthia Zarazir, a Beirut deputy from the opposition, commenting to the press on the parliamentary session held Thursday at Nejmeh Square. The chamber was the scene of a heated debate around a bill providing for tax and fee exemptions for people affected by the recent war with Israel. But it was the voting process of the text that sparked the anger of several MPs. The reason was that Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri once again relied on his famous hasty "soddeq" ["approved"] to pass the text even before the MPs finished voting. But he was quickly forced to backtrack: Under parliamentary and ministerial pressure, he had to suspend the debate pending the...