Parliament Session Loses Quorum

A Parliament session at UNESCO Palace on Tuesday lost quorum after MPs of the Lebanese Forces’ Strong Republic parliamentary bloc left the session to avoid a vote on a controversial general amnesty law which they oppose.

Fifteen MPs of the Strong Republic bloc left the session moments after Speaker Nabih Berri asked regulators to check if quorum was met to launch a legislative session.

The MPs argued that the “session was dedicated to elect members of the committees and should not be transformed into a legislative session.”

However, lawmakers have elected two secretaries, three commissioners and the members of the parliamentary committees to replace the deputies who resigned, the National News Agency reported.

The parliamentary session was held at UNESCO Palace, under the chairmanship of Speaker Nabih Berri.

Lawmakers have also “filled vacancies in the supreme council to try presidents and ministers,” said NNA.

On a bill to restore the original parliament building in Nejmeh Square amid a financial crisis in Lebanon, Berri sounded astonishment at construction proposals presented in dollars instead of in Lebanese Pounds.

"I have not heard of a country in the world whose currency is as dollarized as in Lebanon. Companies want to bill in dollars, and we will not accept that. I insist on submitting proposals of valuation, maintenance and restoration in Lebanese pounds,” said Berri.

The colossal Beirut port explosion on August 4 damages large parts of the capital including the parliament building in downtown Beirut.