FPM to Seek Parliament Ruling on Megacenters as Cabinet Vote Avoided

The Free Patriotic Movement will not bow to Cabinet’s decision to postpone the megacenters plan to the 2026 elections and will rather escalate its steps in the coming hours and days, senior FPM sources said.

“The Movement will hold a consultative meeting today under the chairmanship of MP Jebran Bassil to discuss the available options, which are plenty,” the sources told Nidaa al-Watan newspaper in remarks published Friday.

The options include “submitting an urgent draft law to parliament over the megacenters mechanism, in order to push parliament to shoulders its responsibilities in light of the government’s reluctance to perform its duties in this regard,” the sources said.

Informed sources meanwhile told ad-Diyar newspaper that President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Najib Miqati had agreed not to put the megacenters plan to a Cabinet vote on Thursday in order “not to shake the government’s stability.”

They also agreed “not to throw the ball in parliament’s court, in order to avoid any confrontation with Speaker Nabih Berri on the eve of elections that would risk undermine the fragile agreements between the FPM and the Amal Movement,” the sources added.

Although no vote was held, the Cabinet members agreed Thursday to postpone the megacenters plan to the 2026 elections.