Report: Suleiman to Challenge Parliament Term Extension, Deems it 'Unconvincing'

President Michel Suleiman is expected to challenge parliament's decision to extend its mandate for 17 months, reported the daily An Nahar Saturday.

He believes that Friday's extension contradicts several constitutional articles, adding that the reasons for it are “not convincing and they do not justify the failure to stage the parliamentary elections,” it said.

He told the daily that he is seeking a “technical extension” of its term in a period that would be long enough to hold the elections.

The president will submit his appeal to the Constitutional Council as soon as the decision to extend the mandate is made official through its publication in Lebanese dailies, which will take place on Monday at the latest, explained An Nahar.

Suleiman said that his upcoming step stems from his initial position that opposes the non-technical extension of parliament's term.

He is likely to submit his appeal soon, in a hope that the Constitutional Council will take a decision in this matter before the end of parliament's current term on June 20.

Should the council accept the appeal, efforts will be made to approve a law that calls for the technical extension of parliament's term, reported An Nahar.

The Free Patriotic Movement is also expected to challenge parliament's decision on Friday through an appeal devised by caretaker Labor Minister Salim Jreissati, revealed An Nahar.

The appeal was signed by ten Change and Reform bloc lawmakers.

Around 100 MPs from all blocs, except the Change and Reform bloc, voted on Friday to extend parliament's term until November 20, 2014, in a session that lasted only 10 minutes.

FPM leader MP Michel Aoun said Friday: "The extension does not respect the constitution, the compelling reasons or the norms."

“Even (Maronite) Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi and President Suleiman condemned it,” he stated.

Rival parties have failed to agree on an electoral law to govern the June 16 parliamentary elections and the majority of them opposed the 1960 law that was used in the 2009 polls.

The lack of consensus compelled them to agree on an extension despite differences on the duration of the new mandate.