Al-Rahi Sees No Convincing Reasons, Says Parliament Should Fix Extension 'Mistake'

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Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi hoped on Sunday that the Constitutional Council would take the appropriate decision against the extension of parliament's term which he said was carried out for unconvincing reasons.

“The MPs extended their term without convincing reasons and for their personal interests,” al-Rahi said in his sermon.

“We have full confidence in the Constitutional Council which would study the challenge” made by President Michel Suleiman, he said.

The legislature extended its tenure on Friday for 17 months after the rival parties failed to agree on a new vote law. The extension law was published in the official Gazette on Saturday but Suleiman challenged the move.

“We regret that the MPs did not respect the appeal of the Maronite bishops council,” al-Rahi said.

The council on Monday rejected the extension of parliament's four-year mandate without an agreement on a new electoral law.

It said the law must offer fair representation for all sides.

“The parliament should fix the mistake it made through the approval of a new vote law,” al-Rahi stressed in the sermon.

He also accused the MPs of turning the confidence granted to them by the people into a “private property.”

Comments 8
Missing -karim_m2 almost 11 years

God bless al Rahi for criticizing the February 14 Saudi-Wahabi terrorist coalition.

Thumb Dr.I.Mughniyeh_theheadless almost 11 years

Saudi-Wahabi terrorists

"There is the law of 1960 which is cursed by the Lebanese, rejected by the Lebanese, buried by the Lebanese, and then the Lebanese disentombed. There can’t be anything worse than that. However, we took a decision to run the elections before March 14 to tell them that we refuse vacuum and the law of 1960. Consequently, we are today before three options: either that people go to elections according to the law of 1960, or that we head towards extending the term of the current government – and we agree on extension while discussing the period of extension or a miracle takes place or I don’t know when and we agree on a new law." Hassin Nahsalla 25 May 2013

"We Extended Parliament Term to Avoid Civil War" Suleiman Franjieh 30 May 2013

Thumb primesuspect almost 11 years

Jajajaja ice nickname

Missing peace almost 11 years

yes now hezbollah is part of the saudi wahabi terrorist coalition! LOL

Default-user-icon mustapha o. ghalayini (Guest) almost 11 years

extension was not just a mistake sayedna,it is a fiasco of our out of history religious regime

Thumb primesuspect almost 11 years

He's rich, traveling the world for two months.... When Christians in Lebanon needed his guidance.

Missing peace almost 11 years

lol! so M8 are calling for a genocide? coz you want to hang half lebanon! LOL...

your stupidity has been raised to the level of a piece of art!

Thumb primesuspect almost 11 years

Tonto, his holiness the patriarch is not a political figure. Shame on you for dragging him in the mud. His presence is required not only for Lebanese Christians, but also for Syrian Christians and other in the middle east. We're all suffering. Sure, it is important to keep ties with Latin American Lebanese, but the timing for his trip was very very very wrong.