Report: Polls may be delayed as part of deal involving Taif implementation
U.S. Ambassador Michel Issa and Saudi Ambassador Walid Bukhari have openly raised the issue of postponing the parliamentary elections with Speaker Nabih Berri but he did not show cooperation, al-Akhbar newspaper reported.
“It is currently being discussed that any potential postponement of the elections might be limited to amending the current electoral law and reverting to the provisions of the Taif Agreement, with the postponement decree to be issued by the government,” the daily said.
“Berri confirmed to the ambassadors that neither he nor his bloc would initiate a request for postponement, whether within the government or parliament, noting that they should approach President (Joseph) Aoun and PM (Nawaf) Salam to discuss the matter from the perspective of what the government could do,” the newspaper added.
It is rumored that among the new proposals for postponing the elections through the government is Salam making the move of announcing the government's intention to enter a phase of full implementation of the Taif Agreement, resorting to Article 22 of the Constitution, which stipulates the establishment of a Senate, al-Akhbar said.
“This means that the government would request a postponement of the parliamentary elections until it drafts a new electoral law that includes the Senate on one hand, and the election of a parliament on a national, non-sectarian basis on the other -- a step that Salam does not oppose in principle,” the daily added
According to sources, those holding this view are implicitly suggesting a possible trade-off: foreign capitals might agree to a cabinet reshuffle in exchange for Salam remaining in his position. But simply proposing the application of Article 22 of the Constitution could create a crisis with the Christian forces, especially the Lebanese Forces.
Article 22 of the Constitution states that “with the election of the first Parliament on a national, non-sectarian basis, a Senate shall be established in which all religious communities are represented, and its powers shall be limited to matters of national importance.”
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