Sharp disagreements erupt between the opposition and “Berri” over the possibility of “boycotting” a parliamentary session.

لبنان اليوم

The threat by some Lebanese MPs opposed to “Hezbollah – Amal Movement” to boycott the general session of the Parliament on Tuesday constitutes an escalation in the tension between them and Speaker Nabih Berri.
This boycott is considered an expression of a political position against him, due to his refusal to include an urgent bill aimed at repealing an article in the parliamentary election law related to expatriate voting.
Meanwhile, sources close to Berri believe that this boycott targets the interests of citizens.

Berri had called for a parliamentary session next Tuesday to follow up on the study of draft and proposed laws that were on the table at the session of September 29.
MPs from the “Lebanese Forces,” “Kataeb,” and “Progressive Socialist Party,” in addition to independent and change MPs (who constitute more than half of the parliament) withdrew from that session in protest against the exclusion of a bill that cancels the clause on allocating 6 seats for expatriates in the upcoming parliamentary elections, which led to the session losing its quorum.

67 MPs from the opponents of the “Shia duo” and the “Free Patriotic Movement” are demanding that expatriates be allowed to vote for all members of parliament (128 MPs) according to their electoral districts in Lebanon.
In return, the “duo” and the “National Current” insist on applying the current law that allows expatriates to vote for six additional MPs representing them in parliament.

Parliamentary sources close to Berri indicated that the boycott, if it occurs, “will not be directed at Berri personally, but will be a boycott of the interests of the people.”
The sources explained that the draft and proposed laws on the agenda, which number ten, “directly affect the interests of citizens, most notably the approval of a loan agreement worth $250 million from the World Bank to rebuild infrastructure in the south.”

The sources added that “flying the session means disrupting the government’s plans to rebuild what was destroyed by the war, and hindering efforts to enable people to persevere and return to their villages.”

Until Sunday evening, the positions of all parliamentary blocs on participating in the session were not clear, pending their internal meetings, including the “Lebanese Forces” bloc meeting.
However, some MPs and blocs who withdrew from the previous session are expected to participate.