Press Digest for Sunday April 07, 2013

The following are summaries of today's major stories published in the Arabic press. LBCI does not edit press digest articles for content, giving English-language readers insight into the various views expressed in newspapers across the Arab world.

• Parliament’s Bureau to schedule General Authority session

                  
Sources told An-Nahar newspaper that the meeting of the Parliament’s Bureau which will be held upon the request of Speaker Nabih Berri on Tuesday aims at scheduling a general authority session.                    

In this context, An-Nahar said that the session will have one item agenda which is the 1960’s electoral law.            

Lebanese President Michel Sleiman agreed on changing the elections date to Sunday June 16, 2013 and the duration of submitting the candidatures applications until the 24th of April.             

• Efforts are being exerted to annul the 1960’s electoral law                                   

Change and Reform Bloc MP Alain Aoun told Acharq al Awsat newspaper that a draft electoral law will be discussed during the Parliament’s Bureau session in order to suspend the 1960’s electoral law and give another chance to agree upon a consensual electoral law.          

For his part, Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel told the newspaper that efforts are being exerted in order to suspend work on the basis of the 1960’s law and hoped that forming the new cabinet would be as fast as nominating MP Tammam Salam as Prime Minister-designate.               

• Mekary: Designate PM Salam getting 124 votes is a positive issue     

Deputy House Speaker MP Farid Mekary said that March14 forces expected that Prime Minister-Designate Tammam Salam would be nominated by 70 deputies during the parliamentary consultations adding that “Salam getting the votes of 124 deputies is a positive indicator”.                            

MP Mekary told An-Nahar newspaper that getting 124 votes might be a problematic issue seemingly since some parties might impede the procedure of forming the cabinet and stressed that Designate PM Salam should work with all parties in regards to the formation of the cabinet.       
      

• Fatfat: Designating MP Salam came upon the proposal of the Future Bloc               

Deputy Ahmad Fatfat said that designating MP Tammam Salam to form the new cabinet came upon the proposal of the Future Bloc praising the stances of the Speaker Nabih Berri and Head of the National Struggle Front MP Walid Jumblatt in this regard.                   

Talking to the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Seyassah, Fatfta said that forming the new cabinet should be easy if Designate PM Salam agrees with President Sleiman on a neutral cabinet tasked with overseeing the upcoming parliamentary elections.                

“If MP Salam headed towards forming a national unity cabinet, his task will be difficult and complicated,” MP Fatfat said.           

As for the issue of the parliamentary elections, MP Fatfat said that extending the mandate of presenting candidature applications until the 16th of April will create further confusion to the government if deputies did not agree on annulling the 1960’s electoral and adopting a new one.