[Lebanese] Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri is upset by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s attempt to evade passing a law that would allow the government to borrow foreign currency from the central bank, al-Akhbar newspaper said Wednesday.
Context: In Lebanon, both the Chamber of Deputies (or Parliament, legislative branch) and Council of Ministers (executive branch) can propose laws. However, these must be scrutinized and passed by Parliament in order to actually become law.
Berri is one of many warlords rebranded as politicians, siphoning state resources to enrich himself, his family and feed his cult of personality and patronage.
This slight of hand trick saying the law has to be passed by the outgoing cabinet (which doesn’t have a mandate) before it goes to parliament is both patently absurd and not in line with the Lebanese constitution.
The cabinet resigned and the government fell. This cabinet cannot do anything but keep the lights on, until a new government is formed.
Berri, as head of the legislature, refuses to call and force sessions so that a government can be elected and given the mandate to govern.
Yet another example of how the Lebanese state is a series of petty fiefdoms all vying for power, while the people suffer.
