Berri Advises MPs to Approve his Initiative Before it is 'Too Late'

Speaker Nabih Berri urged Lebanon's political forces on Friday to accept an initiative he made to end the political impasse and warned that the due date for the parliamentary elections are growing closer, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Friday.

“This is our last chance and time is passing,” Berri told the daily.

Berri had launched an initiative that aimed at ending the deadlock. He called for shortening the term of parliament and that the elections be held based on the 1960 law should political forces fail to agree on a new electoral one.

He also called for staging the presidential elections after the parliamentary ones and forming a national unity government.

Berri expressed surprise at the attempts of some politicians to thwart the “basket of solutions” that will be put down for discussion in August, he said: “The basket remains to be the easy solution and the easy way out of the problem we are suffering from.”

“It is no more possible to tolerate further procrastination and obstruction. I hereby tell everyone that they must rush because November is behind the door and we are racing against time. The basket is the solution, so let us all agree before the due date because after that we might be unable to do anything,” Berri stressed.

The parliament extended its own term twice, the first time in 2013 and a second time in 2014.

Political forces have also failed so far to agree on a new parliamentary electoral law.

Lebanon has been without a president since the term of president Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014.

Conflicts between the rival political camps have thwarted all attempts aiming at electing a successor.