Berri Says 'March 8 Not Seeking Bigger Govt Share'
Speaker Nabih Berri said that the so-called March 8 alliance is “not seeking a bigger share” in the upcoming government despite the favorable parliamentary elections outcome, noting that both alliances of March 8 and March 14 are “totally finished,” Saudi daily Asharq al-Awsat reported on Monday.
In remarks he made to the daily, Berri said: “March 8 alliance does not seek to increase its share in the government despite the (promising) results gained in the country’s general elections."
However, the Speaker said he would “prefer the next government to include all parties represented in the parliament,” considering the once known March 8 and March 14 alliances as "totally finished."
Polls held on May 6, the first in nine years, saw Hizbullah's allies (mainly Berri's AMAL Movement) in parliament garner enough seats to block any attempt by its political foes in parliament to make it disarm.
In Sunday's vote, AMAL scored 16 seats out of parliament's 128, three more than its ally Hizbullah.
Berri added that some political alliances have been “reshuffled in a completely incomprehensible manner,” pointing out that “March 8 has more than 50 parliament seats (out of 128),” after the latest polls, but denied that his ally, Hizbullah wants to increase its share within the government.
On the other hand, Berri stressed that he is seeking to “establish a broad national bloc within the new Lebanese parliament,” which will begin its mandate on June 21.
He said he is not currently discussing with political parties any matter related to the new government, pending the start of the mandate of the new parliament.
The new parliament is supposed to meet on the 22nd of May to elect its president, deputy, and the parliament bureau and then launch binding parliamentary consultations to name a new head of government.
At the economic level, Berri stressed that the “government should address the economic issue,” pointing out that the loans obtained by Lebanon from the Cedre Conference held in Paris recently "are not free."
“This time, it is conditional on reforms. The eyes of the international community are open to evaluating the government performance,” he concluded.
Source: Naharnet
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