Opposition MPs announced on Monday that following the disruption of the twelfth session of the presidential elections, the Speaker of Parliament has called for a legislative session as if nothing had happened. In this context, the MPs issued a statement reaffirming the following points to the Lebanese people:
Firstly, our stance of not attending legislative sessions is rooted in our principled and constitutional beliefs. Today, it is a safeguard for all Lebanese citizens' rights, particularly public sector employees. The Parliament, which seeks to normalize the void by exerting its own will, can only legislate with a constitutionally mandated presidential vacancy. It remains exclusively an electoral body until a president is elected.
Secondly, the session is unconstitutional because it is impossible to approve additional credit lines without a 2023 budget. The government, lacking parliamentary and popular confidence, has failed to present any solutions to our ongoing crises.
Thirdly, the current proposal brings us back to the logic that began with the ill-conceived salary scale and rank law, which accelerated the collapse. It continued with the recent arbitrary and unfunded increases to the salaries and wages of the public sector, leading to inflation and halving the purchasing power of these salaries. This approach, lacking seriousness, vision, and a comprehensive plan, cannot address the problems, especially without actual funding sources for these appropriations. Instead, it will lead to further inflation, diminishing the value of any increase.
Fourthly, we once again call upon all fellow MPs to convene immediately under the dome of Parliament in an open electoral session with multiple rounds, as stipulated by the constitution, until the election of a president who is resolute in making independent decisions and committed to preserving Lebanon's sovereignty. This president should proceed with reconstituting the authority to launch the rescue process and address all the consequences of the crisis in a deliberate, scientific, accessible manner, focusing on the salaries of public sector employees.
Signed by the following MPs:
George Adwan, Sami Gemayel, Wadah Al-Saddeq, Michel Moawad,
Michel al-Douieihi, Fouad Makhzoumi, Ghassan Hasbani, Mark Daou,
Strida Geagea, Nadim Gemayel, Elias Hankache, Ashraf Rifi,
Salim Sayegh, George Oqeis, Nazih Matta, Said El-Asmar
Fadi Karam, Kamil Chamoun, Ghiath Yazbek, Jihad Pakradouni,
Razi Hajj, Melhem Riachi, Chawki Daccache, Antoine Habchi,
Elias Estephan, Pierre Bou Assi, Ziad Hawat, Eli Khoury, Ghada Ayyoub