Paralysis Further Grips State as Christian Blocs Refuse to Legislate

The fate of a controversial parliamentary session that Speaker Nabih Berri insists on calling for is facing further obstacles as Christian lawmakers are holding onto their decision to boycott it.

Berri warned in comments published in local newspapers that boycotting the session would lead to chaos in the country, accusing “those who are obstructing legislation on the pretext of presidential vacuum are also boycotting the elections sessions.”

MPs failed on several occasions to elect a new head of state over lack of quorum. President Michel Suleiman's term ended in May without the election of a successor.

Hizbullah and Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun's Change and Reform bloc have been boycotting electoral sessions due to a disagreement with the March 14 camp over a compromise presidential candidate.

Berri called on them to head to the parliament and elect a new head of state to end the “vortex.”

The speaker also lashed out at “those who are touring foreign countries, religious figures and others, and crying over the presidential vacuum,” in hints to Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi.

“It would be better if those people seek consensus among the rivals of the sect to facilitate the election of a president.”

Berri stressed that the “parliament and the cabinet are not responsible for the presidential vacuum... they cause diseases and we're seeking the remedy... this is the truth.”

The speaker reiterated that he will not carry out further contacts with the political arch-foes to convince them to attend the “urgent session.”

The speaker has been recently angered with the Christian parliamentary blocs' decision to boycott a session that he intends to call for to approve urgent issues, including the wage scale for the public sector and the food safety draft-law.

The Lebanese Forces and its old-time rival the FPM will boycott the session over the agenda. The LF is calling for the adoption of a new electoral law, while the FPM wants the amendment of the defense law.

On the other hand, the Kataeb party rejects to attend the session as the “parliament should be only considered as an electoral body and not a legislature” in the absence of a president.

For his part, Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat threw his weight behind Berri, stressing that the presidential vacuum is caused by Christians as some leaders “don't realize the importance of reaching a consensual candidate.”

“We were only facing a presidential crisis and now it's a legislating crisis... the whole country is threatened with paralysis,” the PSP chief said.

Change and Reform bloc MP Ibrahim Kanaan, who is loyal to Aoun, said that the party insists on boycotting the session as it lacks “urgent draft-laws.”

“Accusations that we are paralyzing the parliament are false.”

Kanaan said that the FPM “was the first to agree on the urgent legislation term since the presidential vacuum hit the state... Speaker Berri previously knows our stance and we didn't back down.”

“The presidential crisis is not between Christians... we are working on resolving all crises,” the MP added.

H.K.

G.K.