Berri Hopes MPs Would Learn from Previous Mistakes on Vote Law

Speaker Nabih Berri said the parliamentary administrative and justice committee should learn from the experience of the electoral subcommittee to avoid the same problems that led to the failure to agree on a draft vote law.

In remarks to several local dailies published on Wednesday, Berri said the committee should avoid the mistakes that were made in the past by the subcommittee that was tasked with agreeing on an electoral law.

The committee should on Wednesday start discussions from where they stopped, he said.

He added that if the committee was capable of agreeing on a draft-law by the end of the year, then the parliament's extended mandate should be shortened to hold the elections next March.

The parliament extended its own term in May for 17 months after the rival political parties failed to reach a deal on a new electoral law.

Berri stressed that during Wednesday's meeting, his Development and Liberation bloc representatives will call for the adoption of Lebanon as a single district based on a proportional representation system or to consider five governorates as districts based on proportionality.

Asked about the failure to hold parliamentary sessions over lack of quorum caused by the boycott of several blocs from the March 14 alliance, mainly al-Mustaqbal movement, Berri said: “There is a single team that is paralyzing the parliament and the rest of the institutions.”

He described caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati as a “deceived partner” who “defends the party cheating on him with enthusiasm.”

Berri was also asked about any developments in his meetings with al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc leader MP Fouad Saniora. The speaker said: “When he asks for a meeting with me, I would be ready.”

There has been a huge rift between the speaker and al-Mustaqbal and both sides have lately exchanged accusations over the paralysis of the parliament.

Al-Mustaqbal along with the rest of the March 14 coalition's MPs and Miqati are boycotting the sessions that Berri has been calling for, saying parliament should only convene on emergency issues amid a resigned cabinet.

But Berri is insisting on keeping the 45 items on the agenda of the sessions, stressing the parliament should not be the victim of the failure to form a new government.