|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
||
| Calm expected at legislative session Parliamentary sources expect no major confrontations |
||
|
||
| Sabine Darrous Daily Star staff The calm political environment that has recently prevailed among the country’s top leaders is expected to infuse the three-day legislative session at Parliament on Monday. Parliamentary sources said they are not expecting any tough confrontations that might break the peaceful but still shaky political milieu. Thirty-seven articles in all are listed on the session’s agenda, “a couple of which might witness a heated debate.” But in addition to the fixed agenda, urgent draft laws might be added at the last moment to the table of discussions. Parliamentary sources did not rule out that the recent political turmoil between the president and the premier, might impede the work of the government and take a larger part of MPs discussion time during the session. But they asserted that these speeches nevertheless, will not exceed the “authorized ceiling” set by Syria to ensure the calm atmosphere. The legislative session is to include a number of controversial issues that are expected to attract heated debate between parliamentary blocs. The most prominent topics will be the draft law to extend work on the current rental law until the end of the year and a proposal submitted by Akkar MP Mikhail Daher to create two governorates, one for Akkar and another for Baalbek-Hermel. Although the apparent reason for this was to facilitate transactions for residents of Akkar and Baalbek, many observers see it as an introduction of electoral divisions for the next parliamentary polls. Daher’s proposal encouraged other MPs to come up with similar proposals for their regions such as Kesrouan MP Neamtallah Abi Nasr, who suggested the creation of a governorate for Kesrouan and Jbeil. He argued that a governorate in his region would facilitate the lives of residents there who have to go all the way to Baabda to settle their transactions. This was not listed in this Parliament’s session but will be discussed during a future meeting. Other items on the agenda that are expected to generate long discussions are a proposal to exempt motorists from mecanique check-up on their cars and two other draft laws related to the army and the Internal Security Forces. According to the agenda, there is a draft law that allows the expropriation of movable and nonmovable money and properties in favor of the Lebanese Army and another draft law on the status of Internal Security Forces members and regulating their promotions. While many political analysts are quite certain that the tone of statements delivered by MPs will not reach the level of direct confrontation and attack, they did not rule out the possibility of “harsh criticism” of the government’s performance and criticism that the dispute among top leaders is affecting economic and social development as well as Lebanon’s reputation abroad. “I expect the session to be a regular one with no major surprises except for those that we have seen before and have become accustomed to,” one MP said. Sources do not expect that the media issue which sees New TV facing accusations of malpractice and members of its administration being interrogated by the judicial body to have much attention paid to it. “The case of NTV does not have deep political dimensions such as those related to suppression of public and media freedoms, but it is more of a judicial issue that is more concerned in defamation and libel,” the parliamentary source said. Attention will be focused on key speakers from the main parliamentary blocs, whose statements will reflect the political atmosphere among top leaders. The spotlight will also be on opposition MPs from Qornet Shehwan such as Metn MP Nassib Lahoud, Batroun MP Butros Harb and Kesrouan MP Fares Soueid and other independent figures such as former Speaker Hussein Husseini and former Premier Omar Karami, in order to monitor their positions on issues. |
||
 |
||
| Copyright©Daily Star |
