Mneimneh hits back at Daou over committee elections

MP Ibrahim Mneimneh has snapped back at his colleague in the Change bloc MP Mark Daou over the elections of the parliamentary committees that took place on Tuesday.

“These remarks are inaccurate. Out of respect for fellowship, I won’t say more than this,” Mneimneh said, in response to a tweet by Daou.

Daou had earlier tweeted: “They did not want our participation in Parliament Bureau, but we nominated ourselves and challenged. We opposed the way in which the committees were distributed and agreed as a bloc to submit nominations and we made our message heard.”

“All of the bloc’s members voted for each other and the establishment deliberately nominated someone against the colleague Ibrahim Mneimneh… and together we decided to maintain our nominations instead of withdrawing,” Daou added.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Tuesday accused the Change MPs of breaking an agreement for consensus in the elections of parliamentary committees, as the Change lawmakers lost several key seats.

The National News Agency said the structure of most parliamentary committees remained unchanged, except for a few members.

“MP Adnan Trabulsi won and replaced MP Ibrahim Mneimneh in the finance committee, as MP Mark Daou only garnered 22 votes. MP Halima Qaaqour meanwhile won only 18 votes in the elections of the administration committee as its structure remained the same,” NNA added.

“You broke the agreement,” Berri said, when told by MP Adib Abdel Massih that there should be consensus on a member for the Change bloc in the Administration and Justice Committee.

“As it is known, Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab had sought over the past days to reach consensus on representing all the blocs that are not represented in the committees, especially the Change MPs, but I was told last evening of the failure of these efforts, and the proof is the nominations that took place,” Berri added.

Tensions have recently surged within the Change bloc over the invitation that was sent to Mneimneh to attend a political dinner at the Swiss embassy. MP Michel Douaihy has also announced his withdrawal from the bloc in protest at Tuesday’s fiasco.