Although the various bills proposing to delay the retirement of the army's Commander-in-Chief, General Joseph Aoun, were not discussed at the legislative session on Thursday, the issue was on everyone's mind.
The deferral of Gen. Aoun's mandate, which expires on January 10, is expected to occur on Friday. This would take place at a meeting of the Council of Ministers called by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati Friday, as well as in Parliament, during the legislative session scheduled for 3pm.
Opposition MPs believe that parliament could vote on a draft law that would combine the different texts submitted by the various blocs, postponing by one year the retirement of all heads of the security services.
These MPs believe that the step taken by the Council of Ministers, which would keep General Aoun at the head of the army for a further three or six months, is subject to an appeal for invalidation before the State’s Consultative Council. The latter cannot suspend the execution of a security-related administrative decision, but it can rule on the merits at a later date.
However, a more general law passed by Parliament would be less likely to be appealed to the Constitutional Council. In any case, if both texts are passed on Friday, the one voted in Parliament will prevail.
According to MP Georges Adwan, Vice-President of the Lebanese Forces (LF), Parliament will address this issue. In an interview with This Is Beirut following the first leg of today’s meeting, he affirmed that even if the government chooses to retain the Army Commander in his position, Parliament will vote on a law to that effect. He emphasized, “A law takes precedence over an administrative act.”
Adwan explained that there is ongoing contact among parliamentary blocs and opposition MPs to agree on a common formula to keep General Aoun in his position as head of the army, and to “counter” the obstruction led by Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader Gebran Bassil.
It’s worth noting that at the opening of the session, both Adwan and MP Michel Daher, close to Joseph Aoun, asked Berri if “Parliament will continue with legislation even if the government extends the term of the Army Commander,” and if it will retain the articles regarding the chief’s tenure during the legislative session on Friday. To this, Berri has responded, “Clearly, we have nothing to do with the government.”
In this regard, it should be remembered that the Lebanese Forces, along with all sovereign opposition blocs, boycotted previous legislative sessions since the start of the presidential vacuum on the grounds that Parliament’s priority is to elect a president.
Lebanese Forces MP Ghassan Hasbani told This is Beirut that his party decided to participate in the session because the Lebanese Army cannot be left in a state of uncertainty. According to him, concerns are raised over rushed government actions, including a potential six-month extension subject to legal challenges.
https://youtu.be/6cPyr-rXatc
The Lebanese Forces have introduced an urgent double-purpose draft law proposing to raise the retirement age of any Army commander-in-chief to 61, shifting from the current age of 60.
This legislation takes precedence among the urgent double-purpose draft laws listed by Berri. Another proposal put forth by the National Moderation Bloc (comprising mostly former Hariri supporters in North Lebanon) suggests a one-year extension of the retirement age “for security service chiefs, in office or interim, holding the rank of general or major general.” This would also benefit the Director General of the Internal Security Forces (ISF), Imad Osman (who holds the rank of major general), who retires next May. The Democratic Gathering bloc, led by the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), has submitted a text proposing a three-year extension of the retirement age for all army and ISF officers, regardless of their rank. MP Adib Abdelmassih (Renewal bloc) has put forward a somewhat similar proposal.
Retirement Pension
The urgent double-purpose draft laws will only be considered after the 16 proposals and bills on the session’s agenda are examined.
During the morning session, Parliament approved seven laws, the most significant being the transition from end-of-service indemnity to retirement pension under the National Social Security Fund (NSSF/CNSS). This long-pending text, in Parliament for 20 years, gained approval on November 29 through the joint committees’ efforts. It owes much to the contributions of former minister and MP Nicolas Nahas, as well as MP Bilal Abdallah (PSP).
During the parliamentary session, lawmakers gave their nod to a bill on renewable energy and another related to a World Bank loan providing additional funding for the “Aman” (safety) program within the social safety network.
Additionally, they endorsed a loan agreement with the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development to finance a wastewater network project in Batroun. Another agreement with the World Bank for the development of the road network received approval. The sixth legislation that was approved pertains to the legal status of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Lebanon.
Capital Control
Opposition parliamentary blocs, while coordinating their positions, took varied actions during the session.
Kataeb party MPs boycotted the legislative session, consistent with their previous boycotts since the start of the presidential vacancy. The Free Patriotic Movement MPs did not attend Thursday’s session, though they had participated in the two previous sessions held on April 18 and June 19.
While the Free Lebanon bloc participated in the session, MPs from the Renewal and Change blocs (except Elias Jradé) took seats among journalists in their designated area. They observed the entire session but refrained from discussing the bills or participating in the vote.
At times, they seemingly desired to speak but couldn’t do so from the press tribune. This sentiment might have been particularly pronounced during the scrutiny of the capital control bill.
Opposition MPs, particularly from the Renewal bloc, believe that the capital control bill should be voted on simultaneously with two other bills envisioning bank restructuring and loss distribution. This approach aims to safeguard depositors’ funds.
The capital control bill was second on the agenda, and several (pro-Hezbollah) March 8 Alliance MPs emphasized its significance. Lawmakers who successfully persuaded Speaker Berri to refer it back to the committees, pending approval of the other two bills, include Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab and MPs Raji Saad, Marwan Hamadeh and Michel Daher. Having chaired the joint committees that endorsed the capital control bill, Bou Saab played a crucial role in reminding that all blocs agreed not to subject this bill to a vote without the other two.
The government’s stance during the meeting was surprising. While Deputy Prime Minister Saadé Chami called for a vote on the bill, caretaker Prime Minister Mikati acknowledged that the current version does not align with the International Monetary Fund’s demands. He expressed the need to refer it back to the committees and promised to send a banking restructuring bill to Parliament within two months.
https://youtu.be/GUdLRkJv00k
These diverse blocs are collaborating with each other and other parliamentary groups to formulate a unified text less susceptible to annulment by the Constitutional Council, as explained by MP Marwan Hamadeh to This Is Beirut.
“We are actively working to ensure the presence, quorum and vote for a one-year extension of Joseph Aoun’s term. Meanwhile, the Cabinet might settle for a three-month extension. Everything will be decided in the next 36 hours. The next 36 hours will determine whether the army remains unified or would be exposed to a kind of deterioration,” he said.
In the evening, the House voted on a single piece of legislation, after introducing slight amendments, for the creation of a Sovereign Fund to invest revenues generated by oil and gas resources.
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