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Protesting Lebanese MPs Plan A Week Long Parliament Sleepover
After 11 failed attempts at electing a president, MPs affiliated with the Change bloc and “opposition” have staged a sleepover protest inside parliament’s main assembly hall. This initiative was spearheaded by MPs Najat Aoun and Melhem Khalaf, who were then joined by others, such as bloc partners Paula Yaacoubian, Halima Kaakour, Cynthia Zarazair, Wadah Sadek, and Kataeb MPs Samy Gemayel and Elias Hankash.
The protest began after the 11th presidential election session was adjourned by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri due to a lack of quorum. It has become a sustained habit for some of Lebanon’s parliamentary blocs to come in for the first election round and exit before the second can begin.
In the first round of voting, presidential candidates need 2/3rd or 86 votes to be elected while in the second round the threshold drops to a simple 51% majority or 65 votes. By never leaving the hall, the protesting MPs hope to record a statement against their colleagues that continue to forcibly adjourn the sessions.
— – Hanady gerges (@HanadyGerges) January 19, 2023
So far, no presidential candidate has gained the necessary consensus among Lebanon’s varied parliamentary blocs, with votes usually split between fellow MP Michel Mouawad, blank ballots, and alternating protest votes. Lebanon’s two declared women presidential candidates have failed to garner any votes.
# و # فيديو من #مجلس_النواب,@najat_saliba @MelhemKhalaf#لبناني_دوت_كوم #لبناني_كوم #لبناني #اخبار_لبنان #لبنان#lebnaneh #lebnaneh_com #lebanon #news pic.twitter.com/2oGWpp68xh
— Lebnaneh.Com – لبناني.كوم (@Lebnaneh_com) January 20, 2023
The sleeping MPs released a video this morning confirming that they slept through the night at parliament’s main hall, despite a lack of electricity. They sent morning greetings to the Lebanese people, hoping that it will be a new and hopeful day for the entire nation. It was rumored the Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri asked that power be cut from the parliamentary building, presumably to pressure the MPs into leaving. However, they have remain defiant and plan to stay inside parliament till the next presidential election session next Thursday, despite worries about access to food, electricity, and toiletry. Some protesters have joined the MPs outside parliament.
— وقائع (@waqa2e3) January 19, 2023
Reactions to the initiative have been varied, with some proclaiming their patriotic bravery and others decrying the ineffectiveness of these forms of protest. We will keep you updated with any new developments.