Berri and Charbel in 'Legal and Constitutional' Spat on 1960 Law
Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday slammed Interior Minister Marwan Charbel without naming him, saying those who believe that they can hold the parliamentary elections based on the 1960 law are “ignorant.”
“The polls will not be held based on the 1960 law,” Berri told As Safir newspaper. “Those who think it is possible to hold them based on this law if (MPs) failed to agree on a new law are in ignorant of the legal and constitutional reality surrounding.”
“Article 11 of the 1960 law says the independent authority overseeing the elections should be established based on a cabinet decision … But the government will not form this authority as long as its parties along with the president are rejecting the 1960 law,” Berri stressed.
“This automatically means that there won't be any elections based on this law for legal reasons,” he said.
Berri's remarks came as Charbel reiterated in a statement to As Safir that he was preparing for the polls based on the 1960 law, saying the non-implementation of a certain article does not prevent the elections from taking place.
The speaker reiterated his call for intensified efforts to reach an agreement on a united vote system after rival March 8 majority and March 14 opposition MPs – members of a parliamentary subcommittee - failed following several rounds of talks to find common ground on an electoral draft-law.
Their failure compelled Berri to call for a meeting of a joint parliamentary committees on Wednesday, a move that several March 14 parties saw as a trap to force the opposition to take part in the sessions despite its decision to boycott all government-related activity in the aftermath of the assassination of Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau chief Wissam al-Hasan in October.
Addressing his critics, Berri said time is running out and he couldn't stand idle.
Prime Minister Najib Miqati discussed with Berri the preparations for Wednesday’s meeting, telling As Safir he was concerned about the success of the talks to pave way for an agreement on an electoral draft-law.
Miqati confirmed that several cabinet ministers will attend the meeting.
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