Separation of Parliamentary Seat from Ministerial Post Awaits President’s Action

The cabinet approved “in principle” a proposal by the Change and Reform bloc to separate the parliamentary seat from a ministerial post, which requires amending article 28 of the constitution.

President Michel Suleiman is expected to carry out his constitutional right and amend article 28 in order to prevent MPs from occupying a ministerial post, As Safir newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The cabinet then will have to refer the draft law to the parliament, which requires two-third of the votes of the MPs.

Article 28 was last modified on May, 8, 1929. It states “No incompatibility exists between a deputy's mandate and ministerial office.”

“Ministers may be taken indistinctively either from the Chamber or from outside,” it says.

Energy Minister Jebran Bassil told An Nahar newspaper published on Wednesday that the president had a “positive attitude” towards the reforms’ suggestions.

“Separating a parliamentary seat from a ministerial post is an important issue. The suggestion was approved by the ministers and awaits the president’s follow-up,” Bassil said.

The president headed Tuesday’s cabinet session at Baabda Palace, which tackled around 80 articles on its agenda.