Parliament approves extension of municipal councils mandate

The Parliament approved on Tuesday during a legislative session the draft law aimed at extending the mandate of municipal councils for a maximum period of one year, thus postponing the elections.

During the session, there was an exchange between Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and MP Osama Saad after the latter accused the government of lying to the Lebanese people.

Mikati responded by accusing the lawmakers of lying to the Lebanese people, and the two engaged in a verbal dispute. Saad requested to withdraw the two draft laws concerning the extension of the term of municipalities and suggested that the government would present a law to postpone the elections “instead of hiding behind the Parliament.”

When MP Hadi Abou al-Hassan proposed extending the term of municipal councils for four months, citing concerns about potential legal challenges, Speaker Nabih Berri responded, "The extension is technical."