Jumblat Decries 'Costly' Legislative Session, Says Next One 'Doomed to Fail'

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat has criticized the much-awaited legislative session that was held on Thursday and Friday, saying it was “too costly at all levels.”

The session “exhausted all efforts, capabilities and the capacities of the human mind in order to be held,” said Jumblat in an editorial on his party's al-Anbaa online magazine, referring to the strenuous negotiations and political wrangling that eventually secured the convention of the parliament.

“What a costly and expensive session at the financial level, seeing as the parliament has approved earmarking around $1.5 billion for equipping the army,” Jumblat added.

“We innocently ask why weren't these supplies listed as part of the $1 billion Saudi grant whose implementation is being overseen by ex-PM Saad Hariri or the $3 billion Saudi-French agreement in order to spare the treasury additional expenses,” he explained.

Jumblat also blasted the parliamentary blocs for “disregarding the dramatic rise in public debt, which has started to threaten the financial foundations of the entire state.”

He also noted that the next legislative session is “doomed to fail” because “it will be impossible to agree on an electoral law.”

“We can be reassured that the next session will not cost billions of dollars,” he added.

During the much-anticipated session on Thursday, the parliament approved the food safety law, the law on granting nationality to emigrants of Lebanese origin, the law on providing the army with “urgent equipment and infrastructure” and around 20 urgent financial draft laws and proposals.

The last legislative session was held in November 2014. It was followed by a controversy over whether or not the parliament can legislate amid a presidential vacuum.

Y.R.