By Xinhua
Beirut : Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri indirectly rejected Monday a constitutional amendment bill adopted by the majority government to open the door for the election of Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman as president.
Berri’s stand was outlined by MP Ali Hassan Khalil, a member of the speaker’s parliamentary bloc and Amal Movement, local Naharnet news website reported.
Reading a statement to reporters at Berri’s residence in Ein al-Tineh, south Beirut, Khalil said that “Parliament… would not break constitutional rules by accepting an anti-constitutional move from an illegitimate government.”
Addressing Premier Fouad Seniora’s majority government, Khalil said “Your bill has no constitutional value.”
Earlier on Monday, Lebanese government wrote down a bill amending the constitution that would pave the way for electing Suleiman as president.
The government also approved a motion for an extraordinary legislative session by parliament as of Jan. 1.
The post of president has been vacant since ex-president Emile Lahoud’s term expired on Nov. 24, as rival camps failed to agree on a successor.
The two sides have initially agreed on Suleiman as the man for the job, but remain at odds over the election process and the shape of a new government.
According to Lebanon’s constitution, a senior public servant has to stand down from his post two years ahead of running for the presidency, which made a constitutional change necessary for Suleiman’s election.
The opposition is demanding a “basket” of guarantees on the new government line-up ahead of any vote.
The ruling coalition has insisted that deciding the make-up of the cabinet is a prerogative of the new president, traditionally drawn from the Maronite Christian community, which has expressed fears for its role in the country.
Lebanese ruling coalition and the opposition have been separated by a wide chasm since six of the latter’s ministers resigned from Seniora’s government last November.