Interior Minister Judge Bassam al-Mawlawi said via an interview with the director of the Middle East News Agency’s office in Lebanon, that the most important priority during the next stage is to hold the upcoming parliamentary elections on time, stressing that he “has finished preparing the Election Supervision Authority, which is a body proposed by the Minister of Interior, but it is independent and its job is to supervise the elections and work in a headquarters far from the ministry as well.”
In response to a question regarding the possibility of continous disruption of Cabinet sessions, Mawlawi said that “the disruption of the sessions will not affect the formation of the election supervisory body,” noting that “the law stipulates that in the event that a decision to form the new body is not issued, the existing supervisory body will continue its work. Until a new commission is formed, and the commission begins its role with opening the door for candidacy for elections.”
Regarding the dispute over setting the date for the parliamentary elections, he said: “The law provides for holding elections between March 21 and May 21,” noting that “the House of Representatives recommended in the law amendments that elections be held on March 27, while a date is set for The elections are based on a decision of the Minister of Interior signed by the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic, stressing that “The President of the Republic has a decisive position and assured him personally more than once that he will not sign the decree calling for the electoral bodies to vote in the month of March.” months from the date set for the elections, and therefore the elections will not take place in the month of March unless the President of the Republic signs the decree calling for elections before the current December 27.”
The Minister of Interior stated that “the decree calling for elections has not been sent to the President of the Republic so far, out of decency, good behavior and striving to reach the minimum level of political understanding in the country and to stay away from political strife,” noting that “it is clear the President of the Republic’s desire not to hold elections except In May, he stressed that he “will not use his powers to set the date of the elections in an official decree until the date is agreed upon with the President of the Republic and the Head of Government for the elections,” ruling out that “the elections will take place in April due to its coincidence with the blessed month of Ramadan, and therefore the elections will inevitably be in May after Eid Al-Fitr, and before the specified deadlines.”