Christian Parties to Boycott Any Session Aimed at Extending Parliament Term

The Free Patriotic Movement, the Lebanese Forces and the Kataeb Party intend to boycott any parliamentary session aimed at extending the legislature’s term in the absence of a new electoral law, a senior FPM official told al-Hayat daily in remarks published Sunday.

The Cabinet is scheduled to convene on Monday to discuss the latest proposed electoral law formats.

Reports have said that Speaker Nabih Berri might call for a parliament session aimed at extending the legislature’s term should the parties fail to agree on a new electoral law.

But the FPM and the LF have rejected even a so-called “technical extension” of the parliament’s term, which prompted Berri to accuse them of seeking parliamentary “vacuum.”

The country has not organized parliamentary elections since 2009 and the parliament has since extended its own mandate twice.