Member of the "Development and Liberation" bloc, MP Mohammad Khawaja, indicated that "MP Gibran Bassil requested an understanding, but he aborted the dialogue initiative mentioned by the Speaker of the House Nabih Berri. The Speaker's response was solely based on what Bassil said, nothing more, nothing less." He dismissed Bassil's claims regarding providing guarantees in exchange for voting for the leader of the Marada Movement, Sleiman Frangieh.
In an interview with the "Anbaa" electronic newspaper, Khawaja viewed that "the vacancy will continue, and the scene of the six sessions held will repeat if there are no intentions to reach an understanding and bring viewpoints closer, which cannot happen without communication and dialogue, regardless of the form and mechanism of the dialogue."
He revealed that "President Berri will not remain idle but will act and encourage parliamentary blocs to communicate in order to produce a certain understanding so that we can subsequently elect a president for the republic; however, there are no positive intentions yet to launch his initiatives, knowing that the country cannot withstand more vacancy."
Khawaja also addressed the issue of the quorum that MP Sami Gemayel raised in the last session, which several opposition and independent MPs are discussing. He labeled what is happening as "constitutional cleverness" and reminded that "the constitution states that the first session is held with a two-thirds quorum and the president is elected by a two-thirds majority, whereas in the second session, he is elected by a simple majority (half plus one). As long as the two-thirds majority is not denied in terms of attendance in the second session, this principle is applied."
He added: "Furthermore, the precedent emphasizes the same thing; the 13 presidents who have been elected since independence until Michel Aoun came to power did so with a two-thirds majority. Hence, there are no interpretations but constitutional laws and precedents."
