Prime Minister Najib Mikati pledged to hold parliamentary elections before the end of the current parliament’s mandate, which is May 21, 2022.
According to a statement published by the official website of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, PM Mikati’s statements came during a meeting organized by the Economic and Social Council, on Monday, entitled “The Economic, Social and Living Reality and the Current Crises.”
Mikati mentioned that “no one can prevent the elections, and we will issue the invitation to the electoral bodies on March 27, 2021. If any change in the date occurred, the elections will definitely be held before May 21.”
The Lebanese premier explained that the priorities of the government’s work are based on eight pillars.
He cited “the security, the financial and economic file, the social file, services and infrastructure, holding parliamentary elections on time, local and international public policies, fighting corruption, putting the required laws into practice, the judiciary and its reform.”
Mikati also announced that one of his priorities is to “reconsider wages and transportation allowance.”
He explained having met with the Minister of Labor, the head of the economic bodies, and the General Labor Union, and they have started discussing “what can be provided to face the pressing situation, whether through a specific increase in transportation allowance and wages.”
He noted that the related studies are ready and they “will click on this file” during the next session of the Council of Ministers.
The Lebanese Prime Minister also announced the start of “negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), strengthening the relationship with the World Bank, reviving the banking sector, and putting an economic recovery plan into practice.”
The parliament amended the date of the parliamentary elections to next March 27 in a legislative session held on October 19. The parliamentary elections will be held based on the proportional law which was approved by the parliament in 2017.
