Hamadeh Says March 8 Seeking to Circumvent Parliament in Extra-Budgetary Spending

Opposition MP Marwan Hamadeh accused the March 8 forces of seeking to circumvent the parliament by pressuring President Michel Suleiman into signing a bill on the $5.9 billion extra-budgetary spending of 2011.

In remarks to An Nahar daily published Friday, Hamadeh, who is part of the March 14 coalition, said: “Pressuring the president into signing an urgent bill for the first time since the (adoption of) the Taef (accord) circumvents the parliament which has been initially established to approve financial draft-laws.”

Sources have said that Suleiman is mulling to sign the decree in accordance with article 58 of the constitution which allows him to issue a bill deemed urgent by the government after the failure of the legislature to approve it within forty days following its transfer to the chamber of deputies and its inclusion on the agenda of the discussions.

Hamadeh said the March 8 attempt to pressure Suleiman into approving the bill is aimed at blackmailing the opposition by not legitimizing the $11 billion spent by the governments of ex-PMs Fouad Saniora and Saad Hariri between 2005 and 2009.

The March 8 forces are also seeking to torpedo the understanding to propose a state budget that includes the $5.9 billion and $11 billion spending, the lawmaker added.