The newspaper "Al-Anbaa" writes: There is serious concern looming about actions being conducted both covertly and overtly to postpone parliamentary elections and potentially sideline them. This is coupled with the apparent threads being woven by local entities driven by external interventions, notably the resurgence of groups loyal to the Syrian regime, hinting at transparent intentions to undermine the essence of the electoral entitlement.
In this context, the proposal of the "Mega Center," which the Free Patriotic Movement insists on endorsing for the elections, has raised questions about its seriousness given its introduction shortly before the anticipated electoral timeline. This proposal is costly and requires significant time—two factors that are sorely lacking today.
On another front, the ongoing economic and social collapse continues to burden all sectors, including the healthcare sector, which has sounded the alarm after the National Social Security Fund stopped disbursing advances to private hospitals.
Sulaiman Haroun, head of the private hospitals' syndicate, noted that "Social Security has completely stopped paying monthly advances; however, the reason is not a lack of funds, as they are collecting subscriptions that have risen due to increased salaries. But some board members oppose payments and link the issue to internal matters concerning the Social Security institution," pointing out that "hospitals are paying the price for differing opinions among the Social Security board."
In an interview with "Al-Anbaa" electronic newspaper, Haroun mentioned that "private hospitals are not receiving any assistance from abroad. With Social Security completely halting advance payments, they will be unable to provide healthcare services unless citizens pay their bills in full, at which point, bills will rise by between 30% and 60%."
In a related context, the Finance and Budget Committee discussed the draft law for the 2022 budget and subsequently announced its rejection of taxes imposed on citizens who cannot bear additional financial burdens.
Committee member MP Mohamed Khawaja confirmed that "no one will accept the imposed taxes, especially since people are unable to pay these amounts; therefore, the budget will need to be reexamined regarding securing revenues."
In a conversation with "Al-Anbaa" electronic newspaper, Khawaja emphasized the necessity of imposing taxes on wealth and high incomes, such as progressive taxes, and not on low-income individuals who have no capacity to sustain their livelihoods.
Khawaja noted that "the government approved the budget before the Russian-Ukrainian war, but expenditures have risen due to increased global product prices, such as oil prices; thus, this matter also requires reconsideration."
He concluded by stressing the need to adopt an economic emergency plan supported by security agencies and justice to safeguard citizens' food security and hold traders and manipulators accountable for raising prices and monopolizing goods.
Accordingly, the coming days will not be easy for Lebanese across all levels, as wagers increase and there is no clear horizon to resolve any crises—be they political, living, economic, or financial.
