Ahead of an upcoming parliamentary session, set to be scheduled soon, Speaker Nabih Berri chaired a meeting of Parliament’s Bureau on Thursday to review an agenda packed with long-delayed expedited law proposals.
Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab announced that Berri intends to call for a legislative session once lawmakers have had around five working days to examine a trimmed-down list of 80 urgent draft laws.
“Out of the 139 expedited proposals accumulated over time, many have become irrelevant,” Bou Saab said, noting that some pertain to outdated budgets or the COVID-19 period, while others are currently under review in parliamentary committees. He added that numerous MPs had agreed to withdraw their proposals, easing the legislative backlog.
On the electoral front, Bou Saab reaffirmed that municipal elections are set to proceed as scheduled across all governorates. He ruled out any changes to the current electoral law before the vote.
Addressing the contentious issue of the Beirut municipal elections, Bou Saab clarified that while proposals were presented to amend the electoral process, particularly regarding closed lists and power distribution within the capital, none were viable. He criticized the contradictory nature of these proposals, saying they lacked fairness and could undermine the authority of the Beirut Governor. “One MP says it doesn’t affect the governor’s powers, while another insists it does. This confusion shows the proposed law doesn’t achieve real equality,” he explained.
Additionally, Bou Saab emphasized that Berri attempted to mediate a compromise by suggesting a special study committee. However, Bou Saab argued the issue would not be resolved in time for the upcoming municipal elections and recommended that it be transferred to the Interior and Municipalities Committee for a more comprehensive review impacting all of Lebanon, not just Beirut.
Looking ahead to the 2026 parliamentary elections, he warned against delaying necessary legal amendments, particularly concerning the election of six expatriate MPs, stressing the urgency of addressing legislative gaps before it’s too late.
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