Charbel calls for a one week postponement of parliamentary elections

Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel referred to the secretariat of the premiership a decree calling for amending the previous decree that called for holding the polls on June 9, changing the elections date to Sunday June 16, 2013 and the duration of submitting the candidatures applications until the 24th of April.                       

Following a meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain el-Tineh, Minister Charbel said that amending the period aims at giving more time to submit candidatures for the elections, and more time to agree upon a consensual electoral law.               

Minister Charbel added that the main problem lies in the time taken to agree upon an electoral law.             

On the Christian meeting held at Bkerke on Wednesday, Charbel said, "The meeting of Christian officials in Bkerke was surprising, but I abide by the law and I don't have to implement what they agreed upon. Amending the current law or holding the elections on a new one is not related to the Ministry, but to the Parliament," Minister Charbel said.