Latest news with #NabihBerri
LBCI
a day ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Parliament session kicks off to review government performance
Lebanon's Parliament convened Tuesday to question the government over its policies and overall performance. The session provides lawmakers a key opportunity to assess the government's direction and raise pressing national issues. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri outlined speaking time rules, stating that a bloc of five MPs is allowed one speaker, a bloc of ten can have two, fifteen members can have three, and twenty members are granted four speakers. Each speaker will be given 10 minutes to address the session.
LBCI
2 days ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Walid Jumblatt reaffirms Syria's unity, says Israeli threats cannot continue indefinitely
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt affirmed that Syria "was and will remain united." Speaking after his meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, he said: 'Some people in Sweida misunderstood me — it is under the protection of the Syrian state.' He added, 'As for Lebanon, our understanding is to preserve Greater Lebanon. Historically, the Levant stretches from Lebanon to Iraq, but we remain committed to the current states.' Jumblatt stressed that the remaining appointments will move forward as planned. He said he and Berri discussed several issues, including the situation in the south, noting that the matter is in safe hands and that he refuses to interfere in it. Describing Israeli threats as a 'constant sword hanging overhead,' he added, 'But things can't go on like this — either there is a ceasefire or there isn't.'
MTV Lebanon
2 days ago
- Politics
- MTV Lebanon
Berri welcomes Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister, Presidential Advisor
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri met at the second presidency headquarters in Ain el-Tineh, Kuwait's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Fahd Yousef Saud Al-Sabah, and the accompanying delegation, in the presence of the Chargé d'Affaires of the Kuwaiti Embassy in Beirut, Counselor Yassin Al-Majed. The meeting reportedly addressed the general situation in Lebanon and the region, the latest developments, and the bilateral relations between Lebanon and Kuwait. After the meeting, Sheikh Sabah said: 'Lebanon will always be Lebanon. The visit is to affirm the full support of Kuwait and the Kuwaiti people for Lebanon, most notably by His Highness the Emir of Kuwait.' Separately, Speaker Berri received in Ain el-Tineh, the newly appointed Indonesian Ambassador to Lebanon, Dicky Komar, who paid him a protocol visit upon assuming his new diplomatic duties in the country. The visit was also an opportunity to discuss developments in Lebanon and the region, as well as the bilateral relations between Lebanon and Indonesia. The House Speaker also received Canadian Ambassador to Lebanon, Stephanie McCollum, wit whom he discussed political and field developments, the general situation in Lebanon and the region, as well as bilateral relations between Lebanon and Canada. Berri later met with Czech Ambassador to Lebanon, Ester Lauferov, who paid him a protocol visit upon assuming her new duties as her country's ambassador to Lebanon. The meeting discussed the general situation and bilateral relations between the two countries.
Ya Libnan
3 days ago
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
Lebanon's Diaspora Demands Full Voting Rights: Denying Equal Political Rights Is a Betrayal
By Ali Hussein Millions of Lebanese citizens live abroad—not by choice, but by necessity. They were driven out by war, corruption, economic collapse, and hopelessness. Yet despite the distance, they have never turned their backs on Lebanon. In its darkest hours, they became the country's lifeline, keeping it afloat with remittances, investments, and unwavering emotional and political support. Now, those very people are being told that their voices no longer matter. That their right to full political participation is negotiable. That their role is to send money, not to cast votes. This is nothing short of a betrayal. On July 2, 2025, the Lebanese Private Sector Network (LPSN) issued a powerful statement calling for the restoration of full voting rights to Lebanon's diaspora. 'The Lebanese diaspora must be granted the right to vote for all 128 members of Parliament based on the districts in which they are registered in Lebanon—not be limited to the six continental seats currently allocated to them,' the statement declared. The LPSN also emphasized that expatriates must continue to vote from their countries of residence, as they did during the 2022 elections. To deny them this right is to further alienate a population that has given more to Lebanon than many of its own politicians ever have. 'Restricting diaspora voting rights severs a vital connection between Lebanon and its global citizens,' the statement warned. And it's true. The diaspora's relationship with Lebanon is not symbolic. It is economic, social, emotional—and political. Amid years of failed governance and financial ruin, it was not the Lebanese state that came to the people's rescue. It was the diaspora. They wired money when salaries evaporated. They paid for food when families went hungry. They covered school fees, medical treatments, and emergency bills. Even after losing billions in Lebanon's bank collapse, they did not stop helping. Without the diaspora, entire regions of Lebanon could have faced famine. That is not an exaggeration. It is a fact. And yet, the political establishment, led by Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, continues to block a draft law that restores full voting rights to these same citizens. The draft law—already endorsed by 65 members of Parliament, a clear majority—would amend articles 112, 121, and 122 of the Electoral Law, which currently restrict the diaspora to electing just 6 out of 128 MPs. That is 4.7% representation for a population that, by many estimates, far exceeds the number of Lebanese currently living in Lebanon . Denying full rights to this global majority is not only unjust—it is undemocratic and dangerously shortsighted. This is not only unjust—it is dangerous. Lebanon cannot afford to alienate its diaspora. Not morally, not politically, and certainly not economically. The survival of the nation has been deeply tied to its sons and daughters abroad. 'If it weren't for the diaspora, Lebanon might not even exist today as an independent and sovereign country,' said one diaspora member. He is right. To continue denying them equal political rights is to ignore history—and jeopardize the future. Speaker Berri must stop obstructing the will of the people. Parliament must bring the draft law to a vote. And Lebanon must finally recognize the diaspora for what it truly is: not a separate category of citizens, but an essential pillar of the republic. The choice is clear: include them fully—or risk losing them forever.
Ya Libnan
4 days ago
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
Lebanon faces existential threat if it does not disarm Hezbollah
U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and U.S. special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack speaks after meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut, Lebanon June 19, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File photo US Special Envoy Tom Barrack warned, in an interview with the Emirati newspaper The National, that Lebanon risks falling into the hands of regional powers unless Beirut moves to resolve the issue of Hezbollah's arms He pointed out that 'Lebanon needs to resolve this issue, otherwise it could face an existential threat,' adding, 'Israel on one side, Iran on the other, and now Syria is emerging very quickly. If Lebanon doesn't act, it will return to the Levant.' He added, 'The Syrians say Lebanon is our beach resort. So we have to act. And I know how frustrated the Lebanese people are. This frustrates me too.' Source: El Nashra
