The representatives of the “Free Patriotic Movement” opened a direct oversight confrontation with the government, through an official request to the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, to hold a session dedicated to questioning it, against the backdrop of a group of files that they consider have not yet received clear and sufficient answers, whether with regard to the implementation of the ministerial statement or the answer to previous parliamentary questions.
The request was submitted by Representatives Cesar Abi Khalil, Nada Al-Bustani, Gebran Bassil, George Atallah, Edgar Trabelsi and Samer Al-Toum, based on Articles 131 and 136 of the House of Representatives’ bylaws, which allow representatives to request interrogation of the government and allocate periodic sessions for questions, interrogations and general discussion.
In the content of the request, the representatives considered that parliamentary oversight constitutes one of the basic functions of the House of Representatives, noting that a number of parliamentary questions that they had previously submitted did not receive adequate answers, while other answers, according to what was stated in the request, were contradictory, indirect, or insufficient.
The interrogation topics were divided into 7 basic files.
Regarding the Syrian displacement file, the representatives called on the government to clarify its plan to return the displaced and the extent of its effectiveness, noting the existence of contradictions in the numbers and data related to the numbers of returnees and the mechanisms for verifying that the return actually occurred.
As for the energy and water file, they called on the government to clarify its plan to address the water and dam crisis and the severe water outages in a number of regions, in addition to the reality of the electricity sector and the continued weakness of nutrition, in addition to the fuel ship file and the suspicions and judicial prosecutions that have been raised about it, in addition to the oil and gas file in Lebanese waters.
In the financial file, the request focused on the fate of the forensic audit at the Bank of Lebanon, and the measures taken based on its results, in addition to the deposit crisis and the absence of an integrated plan to return depositors’ money and achieve financial recovery, as well as the issue of linking banking sector reform to addressing the financial gap.
The interrogation also included the security file, defense and foreign policy, especially the negotiations, the framework agreement and the security annex associated with it, and the extent of the government’s commitment to what was stated in its ministerial statement regarding establishing a clear national defense policy and addressing the arms issue.
Regarding the judiciary file, the representatives requested that the government be held accountable regarding the extent of its commitment to the independence of the judiciary, and the measures it has taken to prevent political interference and ensure the proper administration of justice, especially after the law related to the independence of the judiciary was dropped and no alternative has been provided so far.
The request also included the file of administrative decentralization, where the representatives asked about the reasons for not achieving actual progress in this path, despite it being included in the reform commitments, and they called on the government to specify its steps and deadlines for moving from pledges to implementation.
As for the last axis, it related to administrative, judicial, diplomatic and security appointments, in addition to appointments in supervisory and regulatory bodies, where the representatives raised the issue of the approved standards and the extent of commitment to transparency, efficiency and equal opportunities.
The representatives of the “Free Patriotic Movement” asked Berri to refer the interrogation to the government in accordance with the rules and to take the necessary measures to hold an ad hoc session as soon as possible.
This move comes within the framework of escalating the parliamentary oversight role towards the government, in light of the accumulation of financial, economic, security and administrative files that are still the subject of discussion inside and outside the House of Representatives.
