National News Agency – Al-Akhbar: Electricity held hostage by “Bukhari alliance”

NNA – Al-Akhbar newspaper wrote: “Regardless of the formula President Najib Mikati announced yesterday that he has agreed with President Nabih Berri to approve a treasury advance in the interest of the Electricité du Liban Corporation to purchase fuel and increase hours of power, it still has to prepare a bill to vote on it in A parliamentary legislative session is not assured of its “quorum” due to the new dispute in the House of Representatives over the right of parliament to legislate in light of its transformation into a body constituency, in addition to the dispute over the determination of the quorum for presidential sessions in all its sessions (two thirds or half plus one).A dispute that may not work with the justifications of the need to legislate at the gates of winter, which puts at risk the “dream” of ensuring electricity for ten hours, despite the assurance of the councilor of the prem yesterday, Nicolas Nahas, that “on December 10 we will have 10 hours of electricity”.
Parliamentary sources confirm that the formula agreed in Ain al-Tineh to guarantee 300 million dollars for the purchase of fuel has been promised by the Governor of the Banque du Liban, Riad Salameh, on condition that it is sold at the platform price at the Electricité du Liban for a period of three months between December and February, whether it is in the form of a guarantee or by paying the amount directly, it cannot be implemented without passing the law that the ruler has set as a condition, and without difficulty in the absence of political consensus.
In this context, Al-Akhbar learned that an opposition front is being worked on for the “Bukhari Alliance”, including the 27 deputies who met in the “Kataeb House” earlier this month and issued a statement in which confirms that “the priority is to elect the president”, together with independent deputies. All number around 40 deputies, who will meet tomorrow to confirm their opposition to holding any legislative session. While the “Strong Republic” bloc was absent from the meeting, Al-Akhbar information confirmed that communication with the “brigades” and “forces” is not broken and there are coordination contacts in this regard.
In light of this reality, attention is drawn to the position of the Free Patriotic Movement and whether it will guarantee the quorum for a legislative session to approve the Berri-Mikati formula, especially after the parliament previously refused, during the President Aoun era , to give an advance to the Electricity du Liban, which plunged Lebanon into total darkness. However, Al-Akhbar’s information indicates that the movement is positively concerned with “everything related to people’s affairs, especially at the gates of winter, away from nastiness”, and therefore will most likely not object to giving the advance that his deputies have always requested.

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