A prominent parliamentary source revealed that the claim by the head of the "Free Patriotic Movement," MP Gebran Bassil, that the expansive agenda for the planned legislative session was the reason behind his boycott is unfounded. The source stated that Bassil had expressed willingness to participate, but conditioned that he would set the agenda to circumvent the powers vested in the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, and the members of the Bureau of Parliament. This appears to be a transparent attempt to evade accountability after facing a refusal from his rival, the head of the "Lebanese Forces," Samir Geagea, and a decision from Maronite Patriarch Bechara Al-Rahi, who prioritizes the election of a president to avoid the considerable portion of the Lebanese population feeling that situations are normal amidst the ongoing vacancy in the presidency.
The parliamentary source emphasized that the disruption of the legislative session comes amid insistence from some to obstruct the work of the Parliament. He questioned why Bassil turned against his commitment to the Director General of General Security, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, regarding extending his term, and whether Ibrahim is required to break his silence, especially since Bassil's approval to attend the legislative session was behind Berri's initiative to prepare for its convening by inviting the Bureau of Parliament to meet to prepare its agenda.
He confirmed that Berri was surprised by the request of Bureau member Alan Aoun, affiliated with the "Strong Lebanon" bloc headed by Bassil, to withdraw the item related to capital control from the agenda of the session, claiming it protects banks rather than the depositors' funds, even though the joint parliamentary committees had approved it in their marathon meetings attended by MPs from both the "Lebanese Forces" and "Strong Lebanon" blocs, led by Ibrahim Kanaan and George Adwan.
The same parliamentary source noted that Bassil finds himself cornered by his opponents in the Christian street with the backing of Patriarch Al-Rahi, and he attempted to escape from this cornering by requesting an expansion of the extension for security and military leaders to include general directors, among those who have been retired. He stated that Berri exhibited flexibility, as he does not wish to enter into a political confrontation with Al-Rahi and the Christian parliamentary blocs.
Furthermore, Berri decided to postpone the meeting of the Bureau to the following day (Monday), thus opting to refrain from calling Parliament to hold a legislative session that was supposed to convene last Thursday, to allow space for consultation, hoping that his communication with parliamentary blocs would eliminate the objections hampering its convening.
However, it seems that consultations have yet to dismantle the obstacles preventing the legislative session from taking place, which Berri will take into account if the opposing positions remain unchanged. The boycott of the session by the "Free Patriotic Movement" will likely increase the tension affecting the relationship between the movement and its ally, "Hezbollah," given that Bassil did not remain committed to what he had pledged to ensure the legitimacy of the legislative session.
In this context, the parliamentary source questioned the difference between Bassil's acceptance of holding necessary legislative sessions during the vacancy period that followed the end of former President Michel Sleiman's term and the delay in electing his successor, General Michel Aoun, and his current objection, even though the political and economic circumstances at that time were acceptable, unlike the difficult conditions the country faces now.
He confirmed that Bassil aims, through his negativity in refusing to convene legislative sessions, to present himself as the decisive figure in the election of the president, ultimately to ensure his legitimacy for the continuation of legislation in Parliament. He added that Bassil intends to convey a message to the outside world under the premise that everything domestically hinges on his approval.
The source maintained that Berri does not want to involve Parliament in a vertical division that adds to the existing divide that hinders the election of a president, asserting that he distances himself from scoring points against those boycotting the legislative session if it means dragging into a conflict with the Christian community.
Consequently, the scheduled meeting of the Bureau will not bring any hopeful indications that would allow for a restoration of necessary legislative sessions, even though Berri shows full readiness to streamline the session's agenda, unless the boycotters reconsider their decision, which would prevent linking it to the disruption of the presidential election that faces a bleak impasse.
Thus, the infection of disruption has reached Parliament, while the fears of plunging the country into unprecedented chaos are on the rise, placing security and military institutions at risk of preventing chaos from threatening what remains of the state’s institutions.
