FPM challenges government on several issues

The Strong Lebanon parliamentary bloc, composed mainly of lawmakers from the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), challenged the government on Thursday regarding several questions for which the legal response deadline had expired, in accordance with Article 126 of Parliament's internal rules. FPM leader Gebran Bassil stated on Wednesday that his group had not received a response from the government to the questions raised by its deputies, according to a statement that did not specify which questions were asked.

On Wednesday, the Cabinet won a vote of confidence in Parliament with 69 votes in favor, nine against and four abstentions. The vote took place on the second day of parliamentary sessions reviewing the work of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam's government. The vote was requested by Bassil, who said during the meeting that the FPM had not received answers to its questions, "neither in writing, nor in the prime minister's speech today [Wednesday]." The FPM is not represented in the government.

According to Parliament's internal rules, "one or more deputies have the right to address oral or written questions to the entire government or any minister after all written questions on the agenda have been exhausted." If the author of the question declares satisfaction with the response, the discussion on the subject is closed; otherwise, he or she has the right to turn it into an interpellation.

Regarding oral questions, the government may respond immediately or request a postponement of the answer. As for written questions and interpellations, these are submitted through the speaker of Parliament and the government must respond in writing within a maximum of 15 days from the date the question is received. For questions and interpellations, the government may request an extension from the Parliament Bureau if the response requires an investigation or gathering of information that makes it impossible to provide the answer within the original time frame.