Mashnouq Says Parliament's Responsibility to Call for Elections
After his announcement that Lebanon's parliamentary elections are doomed to be staged under the controversial 1960 law if a new law is not agreed, Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq pointed out that calling “again” the electoral bodies to begin preparations for the elections is the parliament's responsibility, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday.
“I am not the one who will call again for the elections. That would be the duty of the parliament,” Mashnouq told the daily in an interview.
However he pointed out: “There is still plenty of time,” assuring that efforts to agree on a new vote law have not ceased.
“An extraordinary session will be opened, but if we fail to agree on a new law before June 20 (end of parliament's term) it would leave us no choice but the 1960 electoral law and staging the elections in September.”
In accordance with Lebanon' law, Mashnouq signed a decree in February calling on electoral bodies to begin preparations for the elections that were supposed to be held in May.
President Michel Aoun refrained from signing the decree in order to avoid having the polls staged under the current controversial 1960 electoral law.
Parliament will conclude its ordinary session at the end of May and President Michel Aoun has jurisdiction to open an extraordinary session in coordination with the prime minister.
The president can also invoke his powers to dissolve parliament ahead of the expiry of its term on June 20, which would force elections under the current law (1960 law) within a period not exceeding three months.
Aoun had hinted Tuesday that the elections might be held under the 1960 law in order to prevent “chaos.” But Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil announced later in the day that the FPM would seek to “block vacuum and the 1960 law” the same as it had blocked the “extension” of parliament's term.
Source: Naharnet
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