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Conflict Incident Report
Activists rally against extension of Parliament
Protesters from the We Want Accountability civil society movement Saturday rallied outside the Parliament in Beirut's Downtown, demanding rivals to adopt a proportional electoral law.
Around 20 protesters rallied in the area to say “no to extension, yes to proportionality,” as the Cabinet has yet to agree on a new electoral law.
A protester said that the rally was to show that the Lebanese were capable of holding lawmakers, who have been there for 8 years, accountable.
The protesters held large banners rejecting a third extension to the Parliament's tenure and demanding a proportional system to govern the much-anticipated polls.
On Thursday, the Cabinet met for a short session, and due to the lack of specific vote law proposal, ministers had a general discussion on the electoral law with no breakthrough.
Efforts to explore a new electoral law took an alarming twist that same day when President Michel Aoun supported voting in the Cabinet on this sensitive issue in order to avoid a vacuum in the legislative body if there was no agreement on a voting system.
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah Tuesday cautioned against a vote on an electoral draft law by calling for consensus and understanding among rival factions on this issue.
Nasrallah is not alone, as several other political figures oppose the decision to vote on an electoral law, with former Minister Wael Abu Faour Saturday warning of “deep division” if the electoral law was put to vote in the Cabinet or Parliament.
On April 15, Parliament was set to discuss a proposal to extend MP's terms.
However, Aoun used his prerogatives based on Article 59 of the constitution to suspend the Parliament’s session once for a period of a month to grant parties a final chance before the legislative session on May 15.
Aoun has rejected the extension of terms and propositions of vacuum in Parliament.
Parliamentary elections were originally scheduled to take place between May 21 and June 21, yet political deadlock is expected to delay elections beyond June.
Parliament has extended its term twice since 2013.