The Parliamentary committees conducted a joint session today, chaired by Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab and in the presence of various deputies. Mrs. Faten Younis, the Director General of Political Affairs and Refugees and representative of the Minister of Interior and Municipalities, also attended the session. The committees discussed the proposal of the law to open an additional appropriation in the general budget for the year 2022 worth 1,500 billion pounds to finance the municipal and elective elections for 2023 presented by Representative Ali Hassan Khalil.
After the session, Bou Saab clarified that four issues needed to be addressed, one of which concerned financing. The Minister of Interior planned to fund the elections through SDR, but he did not secure the funds or coordinate with authorities in the region. Bou Saab proposed a law to prolong the municipal and elective councils for four months and sought the support of Gebran Bassil, the head of the “Strong Lebanon” bloc. The Parliamentary committees held the session to discuss the challenges of financing the upcoming elections.
Parliamentary committees held a joint session, before noon today, Wednesday, in the Parliament, headed by Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab, and in the presence of a large number of deputies, while the representative of the Minister of Interior and Municipalities, the Director General of Political Affairs and Refugees, Mrs. Faten Younis, attended.
The committees discussed the proposal of the law aimed at opening an additional appropriation in the general budget for the year 2022 at a value of 1,500 billion pounds to cover the conduct of the municipal and elective elections for the year 2023, presented by Representative Ali Hassan Khalil.
After the session, Bou Saab said: “The session was a continuation of the previous session, and as everyone remembers in the previous session, I went out and announced the recommendations that those gathered came out with, and we carried them to the Minister of Interior, and we asked him to return with answers in the next session in all matters that were raised and related to municipal and elective elections. Since then, I knew that His Excellency the Minister of Interior intended to hold municipal elections, and he announced this matter.
Bou Saab added, “His Excellency the Minister of Interior met with the Prime Minister, and I contacted him two days ago, in preparation for this particular session, (..), and I told him, “In this session, there are four matters that must be clarified, one of which is related to financing. Were you able to obtain financing?” He continued, “The Minister of Interior submitted a decree proposal for the elections to be funded by the SDR, regardless of whether we consider this issue legal or illegal. This is a decision taken by the government, but it was not discussed, and after four months, the funds were not secured, and the government did not allocate funds.”
And Bou Saab added: “From this point of view, the invitation to the session was made. Let us be ready and give answers: Is there communication with judges? Is there communication with teachers? Is the public administration ready? Are civil status departments present? Can citizens secure registration documents?” ?, Did the citizens submit their candidacies in the region in which it was opened, which is the north?” He added, “What we hear is that no people have submitted their candidatures? No, rather the atmosphere that we were supposed to take we took as soon as the Minister of Interior was absent without informing us that he would be absent today, and it came Mrs. Faten Younes, who is concerned with this file, said, “The minister apologizes and sent me to represent him and come in his place.”
Bou Saab pointed out that: “This file does not only require the presence of the Minister of Interior and the Minister of Finance, but the Prime Minister must attend.” So far, she said, there is not a single penny.
And while Bou Saab asked, “Who is responsible for this?”, he said, “Colleague Ali Hassan Khalil submitted a proposal to find a way out,” and added, “The role is to secure funds with the government. Nothing was sent from the government, and it is able to secure financing by means through the SDR.”
Bou Saab explained, “We have received a message that the issue is not serious, and if it was serious, the funds would have been secured, and we had talked with the governors and with the governors in the regions. No coordination meeting took place with them until this moment, and therefore the issue of holding municipal and elective elections has become almost impossible.”
Bou Saab indicated that “we still have less than a month left, and the deadlines will be closed soon.” That’s how they find solutions.”
He concluded, “I will propose a law to extend the municipal and elective councils for a period of four months. The first word will be with the head of the “Strong Lebanon” bloc, Gebran Bassil, to support such a proposal. This decision is taken in the “bloc”. this regard.”
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In conclusion, the joint session of parliamentary committees discussed the proposal of the law aimed at opening an additional appropriation in the general budget to cover the conduct of the municipal and elective elections for the year 2023. However, the absence of the Interior Minister and lack of secured funds raised concerns about the feasibility of holding these elections. Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab proposed a law to extend the municipal and elective councils for a period of four months, which requires the support of the “Strong Lebanon” bloc. With less than a month left until the deadlines, it remains to be seen what solutions will be found to address this crucial issue in Lebanon. Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story.