Lebanese Parliament Speaker Berri rejects any postponement of elections
In spite of ongoing Western pressure on Lebanon to delay the May parliamentary elections to focus on disarming Hezbollah and allowing the incumbent government additional time to implement structural reforms, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri says the vote will be held on time.
He said in remarks published on Monday that he had conveyed his stance to the ambassadors of the Quintet Committee, formed in 2023 and comprised of the United States, France, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Qatar, who wish to postpone the elections.
“I do not support the postponement or the extension of parliament’s term,” he added.
“I was the first to announce my nomination,” Berri noted, explaining that he did so to block claims that he wanted to delay the elections and extend the term of parliament.
“This is a message to whom it may concern inside Lebanon and beyond: I am committed to seeing the elections through to the end,” the top legislator pointed out, saying he had advised several members of his Amal movement to submit their candidacies.
Moreover, the speaker said the postponement “was not justified.”
The elections will be held on time, and according to the current electoral law, he vowed.
“Those who want to postpone them should assume responsibility for their position and not blame it on others,” Berri highlighted.
The major disagreement in parliament is over how Lebanese citizens abroad may vote from their country of residence for all 128 seats in the Legislature.
The current law allocates six specific seats for expats, but many parties – led by the Christian-based political party Lebanese Forces – are pushing to allow expats to vote for all the seats as they did in 2022.
Some lawmakers have already expressed skepticism about meeting the May deadline, citing the need for electoral reforms or security concerns.
Some officials have said that a “technical” delay is possible to allow expats to vote in Lebanon during their summer vacation.
Berri, on the other hand, insists that elections will be held on time, refusing any delay, even a technical one.
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