Geagea criticizes parliamentary leadership, questions government statements about elections

Lebanese Forces party leader Samir Geagea said his party's position has been clear from the beginning and remains consistent, stressing that everyone must bear responsibility for their actions, including his party, for the consequences it has faced in recent periods.

Geagea said that what he described as collusion among the country's three top leaders enabled the quorum to be secured for the parliamentary session held a day earlier. He added that the scene reminded him of past political practices, expressing hope that his impression of a return to a so-called "troika" system was misplaced, while acknowledging the position of what he called the "resistance axis."

He clarified that there was no competition or personal battle with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, but rather a fundamental disagreement over how Parliament is managed.

Geagea also questioned government statements about holding parliamentary elections, saying it was necessary to scrutinize who was making such declarations and the substance behind them.

He stressed that the Parliament Speaker must apply the chamber's internal bylaws and does not enjoy absolute authority, noting that those rules restrict his powers. Geagea accused the speaker of exercising his authority for 35 years as if it were unrestricted.

He added that Parliament's internal regulations stipulate that proposed laws must be referred to joint committees for study within a specified timeframe, underscoring what he described as repeated violations of parliamentary procedure.