Opposition MPs in Lebanon boycott legislative parliamentary session

Bloc says it is unconstitutional for chamber to meet for any other reason than to elect next president

About 30 opposition MPs in the Lebanese parliament boycotted a relatively rare session of the 128-seat chamber amid the country's seven-month presidential vacuum.

The bloc argue that with Lebanon without a president, parliament's sole purpose is to elect the country's next head of state meaning legislative sessions are “unconstitutional”.

The group comprises the parliament's largest political party, the Lebanese Forces, its Christian-led ally Kataeb and a handful of independent MPs.

Parliament's second largest party, the Free Patriotic Movement, said it would take part if the session was limited to its original scope – the salaries of public sector workers.

The FPM, founded by Lebanon's most recent president Michel Aoun, has said it would take part only in sessions deemed to be of supreme national interest.

The parliament held its first session in five months last Wednesday to try to elect a president. The FPM and the LF-led bloc, traditionally at odds with each other, formed a rare convergence and backed International Monetary Fund official Jihad Azour for the post.

Mr Azour received 59 votes, while Iran-backed Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese armed group and political party, its Shiite ally Amal – led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri – and a handful of other MPs gave 51 votes to Suleiman Frangieh.

A two-thirds majority is required to win election in the first round of voting, but only an absolute majority if there is no winner and a second round is held. However, as has been the case in recent sessions, Hezbollah and Amal MPs walked out to ensure the quorum was lost before the second vote.

There are no indications that parliament will hold 13th session to elect a president any time soon.

The boycotting MPs, who are united in their opposition to Hezbollah and the undue influence they say it holds over Lebanon, said parliament should be holding successive sessions until a president is elected.

They called for parliament to meet immediately “to elect an independent reformist president committed to preserving Lebanon's sovereignty” and help rescue the country out of the devastating situation it is in.

An economic crisis that started in 2019 has seen the local currency plummet in value by around 98 per cent to the US dollar on the parallel market, plunging much of the population into poverty.