البرلمان اللبناني: سجالات وانسحابات وتعليق الجلسة على قانون الانتخاب

The session of the Lebanese Parliament witnessed chaos and disorder today (Monday) due to ongoing disagreements over amending the electoral law, which prompted Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to adjourn the legislative session until tomorrow, Tuesday, after losing the quorum, to continue the discussion and approve the remaining agenda items.

During the heated session, there were sharp exchanges between several bloc deputies, after MP Sami Gemayel announced the withdrawal of the "Kataeb" party from the session in protest against the Speaker's refusal to include the current electoral law on the agenda for discussion.

Gemayel stated: "Today's session is a knockout blow and a deliberate exclusion of the Lebanese diaspora, simply because we are not discussing the issue and we are not finding a solution for voting, neither for six deputies nor for 128 deputies." After that, deputies from the Forces, the Change Bloc, and several independents withdrew in protest against the lack of discussion on the expatriates' elections and the loss of quorum in the session.

For his part, member of the Lebanese Forces bloc, MP George Adwan, warned of the danger to holding elections on their constitutional date amid attempts to obstruct this entitlement, which will show that we, as a state, a mandate, a government, and a parliamentary council, are failures, according to him. Adwan considered that elections are an executive procedural matter, calling on the government to take all measures to prepare for their conduct, and announced the suspension of participation in the committee, so that the latter would not be a cover for wasting time and postponing the elections. He called on blocs with similar positions to stand together in every step, starting with not participating in the committee.

MP Michel Moawad stated: "There is a dangerous path we see from Hezbollah and its team attempting to undermine the state and weaken its institutions," emphasizing that what is happening regarding the expatriates' elections is a constitutional violation.

The parliamentary session reopened the debate on the Raouche rock incident, after MP Firas Hamdan demanded the resignation of anyone who accuses Prime Minister Nawaf Salam of "collaboration," rejecting the targeting of Salam. Speaker Berri responded by saying: "This is the Prime Minister of all Lebanon, and the government is not the government of one or two... the government is shared by everyone," addressing them: "Fear God, folks."

The session witnessed a fierce debate between MP Ali Hassan Khalil and the Lebanese Forces deputies over Khalil's accusation of the Forces attempting to sabotage the elections.

These scenes reveal the extent of the fundamental differences that may witness further controversy in the coming period, as well as potential challenges facing the representation of expatriates on one hand and the postponement of elections on the other.

In this context, Interior Minister Ahmad Al-Hajjar stated in a statement from the Parliament: "We presented a report that included the challenges facing the implementation of the law, and no new law has been approved, and therefore the Interior Minister must implement the existing law and coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the registration date." He added that the parliamentary elections will take place on time in May 2026, with the first deadline being November 20 for the registration of expatriates.