Tag Archives: Parliament

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi has warned that the postponement of the upcoming parliamentary elections would lead to “the total destruction of the country.” “It is very necessary to hold the parliamentary and presidential elections next year, or else we will face the total destruction of the country,” al-Rahi said. Moreover, …

In his meeting with President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Najib Miqati, Speaker Nabih Berri “won the issue of settling investigative judge Tarek Bitar’s issue in parliament, should the judiciary fail to find a solution within a week,” informed sources said. Miqati was meanwhile promised with the resumption of Cabinet …

President Michel Aoun on Sunday noted that the solution for the country’s governmental paralysis is “not implausible.” “It is found in the constitution, specifically in Article E of its preamble, which stipulates that the Lebanese system is based on the principle of the separation of powers,” Aoun said in an …

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Thursday urged Lebanese abroad to turn out heavily in the upcoming parliamentary elections. “Lebanon is sick at the moment and it needs an essential surgery, a surgery that is possible and whose success chances are high, if we all pray for Lebanon and grant …

Kuwait’s cabinet approved on Sunday draft decrees for a planned amnesty for political dissidents, the government said, in a step likely to bring an end to a standoff with opposition lawmakers that has blocked legislative work for months. The amnesty has been a key condition of the opposition for ending …

Libya’s government has rejected a decision by the country’s presidential council to suspend the foreign minister over allegations of monopolizing foreign policy. The standoff between the two bodies is likely to increase political tensions in the North African county less than seven weeks before planned elections. It also comes a …

Hundreds of supporters of pro-Iran groups clashed with security forces in Iraq’s capital Friday, expressing their fury over last month’s election result, AFP journalists and a security source said. Demonstrators from groups loyal to the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary network threw projectiles and “blocked… access to the (high-security) Green Zone” on …

Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil on Tuesday lamented what he called “a legislative massacre against the electoral law,” after parliament voted to cancel six parliamentary seats for expats stipulated by the 2018 electoral law. “We will file an appeal over the issue of expat voting because the constitutional …

Kataeb Party chief Sami Gemayel has called on the Lebanese people to “withdraw legitimacy from Hizbullah’s actions” through voting for change in the upcoming parliamentary elections. “We’re not speaking of eliminating Hizbullah. We are saying that the battle will withdraw the legitimate cover it had gained from institutions,” Gemayel added, …

Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s party swept an Iraqi election on Monday, coming first and increasing the number of seats he holds in parliament, according to initial results, officials and a spokesperson for the Sadrist Movement. A count based on initial results from several Iraqi provinces plus the capital Baghdad, verified …

Soldiers, prisoners and displaced people voted in special early polls in Iraq on Friday as the country prepared for a Sunday general election where turnout will show how much faith voters have left in a still young democratic system. Many Iraqis say they will not vote https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iraqis-vote-ballot-marked-by-growing-social-political-fractures-2021-09-28, having watched established …

Qataris began voting on Saturday in the Gulf Arab state’s first legislative elections for two-thirds of the advisory Shura Council in a vote that has stirred domestic debate about electoral inclusion and citizenship. Voters trickled into polling stations, where men and women entered separate sections to elect 30 members of …

The Lebanese Interior Ministry is planning to hold parliamentary elections on March 27, 2022, which is nearly six weeks before the end of the current parliament’s mandate. However, the final date for the elections has not been confirmed yet, which has added to the uncertainty many Lebanese people have felt …

Security forces fired water cannon and tear gas at protesters near Lebanon’s parliament building on Wednesday as the country marked the first anniversary of the catastrophic explosion in Beirut port. Demonstrators, angry over a lack of justice for the blast’s victims and a severe deterioration in living conditions, had been …

 Israel’s parliament is set to vote Monday on whether to renew a temporary law first enacted in 2003 that bars Arab citizens of Israel from extending citizenship or even residency to spouses from the occupied West Bank and Gaza. Critics, including many left-wing and Arab lawmakers, say it’s a racist …

The Palestinian Authority (PA) on Saturday deployed security forces to confront protesters who took to the streets of Ramallah in the West Bank after one of President Mahmoud Abbas’s biggest critics died in custody. Nizar Banat had been arrested by PA forces who broke into a relative’s house where he …

The EU has urged Israel to ensure that Palestinian elections are held across all territories, including East Jerusalem, following a unilateral decision by President Mahmoud Abbas to delay polls planned for May 22.   The Palestinian leader said that the fear Jerusalem would be excluded from the electoral process was the …

Syria’s parliament speaker announced Sunday that presidential elections in the war-ravaged country will be held May 26. Speaker Hammoud Sabbagh said the window for nominations will be open for 10 days starting Monday. Syrians abroad will vote May 20, he said. The election is widely expected to give President Bashar …

Participants in talks on Libya’s political future were preparing for a ballot on Friday morning to select a new interim government, part of a U.N. process aimed at resolving the country’s decade of chaos with elections in December. Candidates for prime minister and for roles in a new presidency council …

Fatah and Hamas leaders appear to be moving closer to setting up a unified list that will be the basis of a Palestinian coalition government, a draft agreement between the rival factions reveals. The agreement, seen by Arab News, was a key factor in the decision to hold elections — …

Kuwaiti ministers handed in their resignations to the prime minister on Tuesday, the government communications office (CGC) said, days after lawmakers submitted a motion asking to question the premier over issues including the makeup of the cabinet. Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid al-Sabah must submit the resignations to the OPEC …

Libya’s House of Representative Speaker Aguila Saleh has denied dispatching an envoy to Turkey ‘to beg and take orders,’ according to a statement on Saturday. Saleh said that the House of Representatives ‘[does] not receive orders from Turkey or anyone,’ adding that they are working ‘for the stability and security …

Turkey’s parliament showed rare near unity on Tuesday in condemning U.S. sanctions over its procurement of Russian defence systems, and said the country will not hesitate to protect itself in the face of threats. On Monday, Washington imposed the sanctions targeting NATO member Turkey’s Presidency of Defence Industry (SSB), its …

Leading Lebanese parties lambasted charges brought against the prime minister and three former ministers over the Beirut port explosion on Friday, highlighting the political minefield facing the investigation. The heavily armed, Shi’ite Muslim Hezbollah movement said the charges smacked of political targeting, joining a wider pushback by influential parties against …

A draft bill requiring Iran’s government to pursue uranium enrichment of 20%, and to disregard other restraints put on its nuclear programme by an accord reached with foreign powers in 2015 cleared its first hurdle in parliament on Tuesday. The legislation was proposed in the wake of the assassination of …

Protesters in the southern Iraqi city of Basra set fire to parliament’s local office on Friday as security forces fired live rounds in the air to disperse them, a Reuters witness and security sources said. The protesters had gathered to demand that Iraq’s parliament sack the provincial governor after two …

A group of Iranian parliamentarians has abandoned an attempt to impeach President Hassan Rouhani, the Tasnim news agency reported on Wednesday, marking the end of a move sparked by growing economic hardship. Approximately 10 parliamentarians who were seeking to impeach the president, and rally other members of the 290 seat …

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri threatened on Saturday to suspend his support for Prime Minister Hassan Diab’s government if it did not act to bring home expatriates stranded abroad during the coronavirus pandemic. Berri is one of Lebanon’s most powerful figures and named the finance minister and others in a …

On December 18, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev received the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Japan, Taro Aso, at Akasaka residence, in Tokyo. Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted with deep satisfaction the consistent strengthening of Uzbekistan – Japan friendship and strategic partnership, as well as expanding …

More than seven million eligible voters both in Tunisia will head to the polls Sunday to elect a new parliament in a fiercely contested election.   By Arthur Blok* Despite a lingering economic crisis Tunisia has worked hard in the past years to remain an island of political openness in …

The U.S. Treasury added three top Hezbollah figures to its list of sanctioned individuals on Tuesday, including two members of the Lebanese Parliament and a security official responsible for coordinating between Hezbollah and Lebanon’s security agencies. It was the first time the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control had …

Iran’s parliament speaker said on Sunday a U.S. Middle East peace plan was “toying with a nation’s dignity” and would lead to stronger resistance against Israel by Palestinian militant groups, the Iranian state news agency IRNA reported. U.S. President Donald Trump has dubbed the plan “deal of the century”. As …

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, received on Friday, Mohamed al-Halbousi, Speaker of the Council of Representatives of Iraq. His Highness welcomed the Speaker, exchanging Eid al-Fitr greetings at the Beach Palace in Abu …

Bahrainis vote on Saturday in a parliamentary election from which opposition groups have been barred, in a crackdown on dissent in the small Sunni-led, Western-allied kingdom. Activists have called for a boycott of the vote, which they say is a “farce”. The government says the election is democratic. The Sunni …

A Federal National Council, FNC, delegation has reached China for an official working visit. The UAE contingent, headed by Dr. Amal Abdullah Al Qubaisi, Speaker of the FNC, will hold discussions with various Chinese officials and representatives until 10th November 2018. Dr. Al Qubaisi said that the purpose of the …

Iranian lawmakers have given President Hassan Rouhani one month to appear before parliament to answer questions on his government’s handling of Iran’s economic struggles, state media reported on Wednesday. It is the first time parliament has summoned Rouhani, who is under pressure from hardline rivals to change his cabinet following …

The European Parliament has condemned the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia for cutting financial support to Somalia for its neutrality on a rift between a Saudi-led quartet and Qatar. The Belgium-based parliament said in a resolution passed on Wednesday that Somalia has “sought to remain neutral” on the …

Iraq began voting Saturday in its first parliamentary election since declaring victory over Daesh, with the country hoping to shore up a fragile peace and rebuild. Polling stations opened around the conflict-scarred nation under tight security as fighters still pose a major security threat despite a sharp fall in violence. …

The Iran-backed Shiite group Hezbollah and its political allies looked set to win more than half the seats in Lebanon’s first parliamentary election in nine years, according to preliminary results cited by politicians and Lebanese media. The result, if confirmed by the final count, would boost Hezbollah politically, with parties …

Kuwait Parliament’s financial and economic affairs committee approved bills on Sunday stipulating fees on expatriates’ financial remittances to parties outside the country. Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) quoted MP Salah Khorshed, the committee chairperson, as saying in a statement that the commission approved the bills with consent of two-thirds of the members …

Lebanon’s parliament approved the country’s first budget in more than a decade, restoring control over state finances and easing a long-standing political deadlock that has stifled development. After three days of deliberations, 61 members of parliament voted to pass the budget while four voted against and eight abstained, state-run National …

Iran’s parliament has voted in favour of boosting investment in its missile defence and foreign operations programmes by more than $500m (£386m). The bill, which received overwhelming approval, is in response to the latest round of US sanctions against Tehran. The US imposed sanctions after a ballistic missile test in …

By Ibrahim Hamidi for al-Hayat –US Secretary of State marks August as the date for a new constitution following his meeting with the Russian president, accelerating the political battle between the Syrian sides Kerry Launches The Syrian political battle is now centered on the constitution, which is one of the …

A protester holds a ball to be thrown towards a blocked street leading to the parliament building, where the third session of the national dialogue talks aimed at discussing ways out of a political crisis is taking place, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon Sept. 22, 2015.