March 14 opposition lawmakers launched a strong attack on Premier Najib Miqati’s government on Tuesday, describing it as an “expired” cabinet that took the country to the era of tutelage.

Deputy speaker Farid Makari was the first to address the parliament at the start of a three-day parliamentary session aimed at assessing the performance of the executive authority.

Premier Najib Miqati told parliament on Tuesday that the government made several achievements and promised to implement other plans despite the disputes among its members.

Miqati stressed at the start of the three-day parliamentary session that he exerted strong efforts to preserve stability by visiting the South and funding the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

Speaker Nabih Berri has launched an initiative for the adoption of a draft-law on the parliamentary elections that would consider Lebanon a single electoral district to appease both ex-PM Saad Hariri and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat who have rejected proportionality.

Berri’s initiative lies in carrying out the polls in 2013 on the basis of a single electoral district through a proportional representation to form a parliament that would preserve the rights of sects and shares while limiting the high-level of sectarianism, As Safir daily reported Tuesday.

March 14 opposition MP Butros Harb said Monday that a three-day parliamentary session would not necessarily lead to a vote of confidence against the government of Premier Najib Miqati.

“These sessions could be an opportunity to inform the public opinion about the mistakes that the government is making and the policy that it is adopting, which is harming the country,” Harb told Voice of Lebanon (100.5) radio station.

President Michel Suleiman stated on Saturday that the legislative authority has the responsibility to follow up on the people’s daily lives, as well as the manage government affairs.

He therefore stressed the need to hold a parliament session “as soon as possible” in order to tackle the $5.9 billion spending bill of the 2011 government.

Some 70 MPs have signed up to discuss government’s performance during a three-day parliamentary session scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, reported al-Liwaa newspaper on Saturday.

Speculation has arisen on whether the March 14-led opposition is seeking to resort to a vote of confidence over the government’s performance.

President Michel Suleiman is likely to throw the extra-budgetary spending ball in parliament’s court over fears that his approval of a $5.9 billion bill would have severe consequences.

Suleiman’s sources told As Safir daily published on Friday that the president’s legal experts are studying the amendments that the parliamentary finance and budget committee introduced to the bill referred to it by the cabinet.

Finance Minister Mohammed Safadi has blasted Premier Najib Miqati and Economy Minister Nicolas Nahhas for accusing him of seeking to take commissions in the deal to lease power-generating vessels.

Safadi challenged Miqati on Thursday, telling LBC’s Kalam al-Nass talk show that the prime minister should remove him from his post if any investigation proved that he had been seeking a commission.

Telecommunications Minister Nicolas Sehnaoui noted on Thursday that the Lebanese people have “no idea of the large amount of information” that is stored in the telecom data.

He said after holding talks with Speaker Nabih Berri: “Whoever acquires the data can spy on everyone in Lebanon.”

Speaker Nabih Berri stressed on Wednesday that it is Lebanon’s “sovereign right” to explore its oil wealth.

He stated before reporters: “Lebanon has the right to acquire its oil wealth through the resistance should diplomacy fail.”