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In a turbulent session on Wednesday, the Lebanese Parliament gathered to debate the 2024 state budget amidst intense arguments and accusations among the members.
The session escalated when Change MP Melhem Khalaf left after a dispute with Speaker Nabih Berri. Khalaf criticized the session’s timing, arguing that the parliament’s focus should be on electing a president rather than discussing the budget. Lebanon has been without a president since Michel Aoun’s term ended last October, due to a stalemate between the two main political blocs, Hezbollah and its opponents.
Khalaf, upon leaving, declared the session unconstitutional and was perceived as a “hero” for his stance. In contrast, Amal MP Ali Hassan Khalil criticized the Change MPs, calling them childish and likening them to mafias. Change MP Paula Yacoubian retorted, pointing out Khalil’s charges in the 2020 Beirut port blast and questioning his authority to speak on mafias.
Ibrahim Kanaan, MP from the Free Patriotic Movement, criticized the proposed budget as unconstitutional and disparaged the government. Similarly, George Adwan from the Lebanese Forces bloc expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of any state budgets or reforms without control over decisions of war and peace.
Addressing caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Adwan urged against introducing any recovery plans that involve writing off deposits and emphasized improving finances and customs.
Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab also criticized Mikati, accusing him of worsening the dispute between the defense minister and the army commander. He questioned Mikati’s treatment of the situation, comparing it to how he might have dealt with former minister Ghazi Zoaiter.
The session reflected the ongoing political tensions and challenges in Lebanon, particularly in the context of the prolonged presidential vacancy and escalating conflict along its southern border.
