Report: Berri, Jumblat to Seek Extending Parliament's Term to Avert Vacuum

Efforts to extend the term of the current parliament are beginning to emerge, reported the daily An Nahar on Sunday.

Informed political sources told the daily that Speaker Nabih Berri and Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat are leading these attempts in order to avoid a political vacuum in Lebanon given the failure to reach an agreement over a new parliamentary electoral law.

They revealed that their efforts have met the “strong backing” of Hizbullah.

Berri had granted political blocs until May 15 to reach an agreement over a new electoral law before calling parliament to session to vote on the Orthodox Gathering proposal that was approved by the joint parliamentary committees.

President Michel Suleiman, caretaker Premier Najib Miqati, Jumblat's National Struggle Front, the Mustaqbal Movement, and independent March 14 MPs have rejected the law, saying that it deepens sectarian divisions in Lebanon.

The Orthodox Gathering law divides Lebanon into a single district and allows each sect to vote for its own MPs under a proportional representation system.

The political powers have so far failed to reach an agreement on an alternative law, threatening to postpone the parliamentary elections that are scheduled for June 16.