Charbel to Ask Cabinet to Convene to Guarantee Election Funds

Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel reiterated on Sunday that he would ask the government to convene to approve the necessary funding to hold the elections and establish the committee that would supervise the polls.

In remarks to al-Mustaqbal newspaper, Charbel said: “I will hold the elections based on the valid law and let everyone assume his responsibility.”

“I will open the deadline for the announcement of candidacies on Monday and will ask the cabinet to meet to guarantee the necessary funds for these elections and establish the committee that would oversee the polls,” he said.

Last month, the parliament approve a draft-law to suspend electoral deadlines until May 19 to allow rival MPs to agree on a new vote system as an alternative to the 1960 law that was used in the 2009 elections.

The decree was signed by President Michel Suleiman and caretaker Premier Najib Miqati.

But the rival lawmakers meeting as part of a parliament's subcommittee failed on Saturday to reach consensus on a new law, suggesting the extension of the legislature’s mandate.

Speaker Nabih Berri, who had been chairing the meetings of the subcommittee, gave the MPs until Monday to bring their responses on the timeframe of the extension of parliament's mandate.

The subcommittee will hold its last meeting at noon Monday to hear their proposals on the extension of the mandate. If there is lack of agreement on that as well, then the June elections would take place based on the 1960 law.