Challenges and Criticisms Surrounding Lebanon's 2024 Budget Approval

The budget for the year 2024 will pass through the parliament, but the vote in favor of it will likely be weak, and the only reason for its passage in parliament is to prevent the government from issuing it by decree. 

In the interventions of the MPs on Thursday's first session, no one spoke positively about the budget, and it was noted in this session that discussions about the budget and financial matters, such as deposits and recovery plans, dominated political issues this time. 

MPs Halima Qaaqour, Cynthia Zarazir, and Paula Yacoubian were among the most prominent in criticizing the budget project.
 
MP Bilal Abdallah suggested that the budget was rushed and hoped it would be withdrawn and reconsidered. Also, criticisms were voiced by MPs Bilal al-Hashimi, Adnan Traboulsi, and Firas Hamdan, who cited the discrepancies in it, particularly regarding the revenue and deficit figures. 

In politics, calls for the election of a President of the Republic intensified, with the Moutahidoun MPs directly addressing Speaker Nabih Berri, urging him to hold consecutive sessions to achieve this entitlement.

The situation in the south was debated among MPs, with opinions ranging from absolute support for what Hezbollah is doing to objections to dragging Lebanon into war. 

In parliament and live on air, everything is said about the budget and other matters, but practically neither the government nor the parliament takes practical steps to overcome the economic and political impasse; neither the reform laws are passed, nor a president for the republic is elected.