LF says Berri is 'clinging to outdated practices' after blocking debate on electoral law amendments

The Lebanese Forces said Saturday that they were "surprised" by Speaker Nabih Berri’s "insistence on clinging to outdated practices," after he blocked debate on proposed amendments to the electoral law, a move they say "contradicts Lebanon’s new phase of implementing the Constitution and building real state institutions."

In a statement the LF said that Berri's remarks on Friday to Asas media that “there will be no parliamentary session to discuss any amendment after they disrupted the quorum in the last two sessions” contradicts the procedures followed in Parliament and the longstanding parliamentary customs since its inception.

The issue continues to go around in circles between those who wish to amend the 2017 electoral law to enshrine the right of Lebanese expatriates to vote for all of the 128 MPs of the homeland — each in his or her own constituency — and those who oppose this, preferring instead to keep Article 112 of the law as it stands. The latter provides for the creation of a special constituency for expatriates made up of only six seats.

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"I was against this law in 2017. Others were in favor of it and insisted on it, including on electing six MPs to represent the diaspora—and now they are against it. The original law was never fully implemented as written. In the 2018 elections, we didn’t act on some provisions; in 2022, we amended it. Now we go back to the original. I am committed to the current valid law, word for word, and I will not change a single comma. We don’t need a new law, nor to amend the current one, as long as it’s in place and we must apply it. All the arguments they’re using—about time, preparation, and readiness—were addressed by the law itself. Article 123 gave the Ministers of Interior and Foreign Affairs special powers to implement the specifics of diaspora voting, as laid out in Articles 112 and 113. These two ministers must now act on those powers, and Parliament doesn’t need to intervene because it already delegated that authority," Berri had told Asas media.

“We are going to hold parliamentary elections according to the current law, and it will be applied as it is,” Berri insisted. 

“There will be no parliamentary session to discuss any amendment, especially after they disrupted the quorum of the last two sessions. I will call for legislative sessions because we have seven months until the elections. Let them go to committee meetings to discuss their proposal and others—including the one from the Development and Liberation bloc. Outside of that, no one should talk to me. I will not change my mind. I will not budge," Berri said.

The LF said that Berri's to "present the expedited draft law, signed by 67 MPs, to the General Assembly to cancel Article 112, constitutes a breach of the Parliament’s internal regulations and the aforementioned customs. It also challenges the will of a parliamentary majority that alone holds the decision-making power."

"As for Speaker Berri’s insistence on keeping the electoral law unchanged, it is not driven by any real concern for the law itself, but rather by a political agenda aimed at preventing expatriates from voting for all 128 MPs. This is a known political maneuver intended to exclude a significant Lebanese voting bloc from participating in the electoral process. Such a move undermines the constitutional principle of equality and discriminates between residents and non-residents, for reasons tied to the Speaker’s political camp and the policies that forced many Lebanese to emigrate in search of stability and prosperity that remain absent in Lebanon," LF insisted.

"Those advocating for the cancellation of Article 112 are aiming to correct a fundamental flaw in the current law. This article was only retained to ensure the passage of the electoral law and to avoid yet another extension of Parliament's term. However, it is widely acknowledged that this article was meant to be repealed, as it effectively leads to the political exclusion of expatriates," LF included.

'Great national project that we defend through our resistance'

For his part, Amal MP Ali Hassan Khalil said that Hezbollah and Amal Movement "support holding the parliamentary elections on time and according to the current law. We consider this a national duty and a responsibility we have shouldered in past terms on behalf of the people, to raise their demands and voices in every forum. We will continue to bear this responsibility with pride and honor... to honor those who fell for the sake of this nation and the great national project that we defend through our resistance, and also through this central political milestone: the parliamentary elections."