The first session of the newly-elected parliament was held on Tuesday morning to elect the Head of the Parliament, the Deputy Speaker, and the secretaries.
In the details of the parliamentary day, Nabih Berri won 65 votes while 23 blank papers were voted, and 40 papers were canceled. This “renews” his position as Head of the Parliament for the 7th term in a row, making him the longest-holder of that position in Lebanon’s history.
However, the number of votes he secured this time is considered the lowest he has ever obtained during successive election sessions since 1992. He received 98 votes in 2018 and 90 votes in 2009.
The Opposition MPs, who also held a march in Beirut on the same day, chose to send strong messages through their ballot papers.
The most prominent were: “Justice for the victims of the Beirut Port Explosion”, “Justice for Lokman Slim“, ” Justice for Depositors”, “Justice for Raped Women”, and “Justice for Parliament Police Victims“.
In a speech following his re-election, Berri affirmed his respect for the election results.
“We will meet the white paper with a white heart and my hand is extended to everyone with sincere cooperation in order to save Lebanon”, he added.
Subsequently, MP Elias Bou Saab of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) was elected as Deputy Parliament Speaker, with 65 votes, upon receiving support from the MPs of Berri.
MP Alain Aoun, also from the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), was elected as the 1st Secretary of the Parliament for the Maronite position with 65 votes.
MP Hadi Abu Al Hassan, of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), won the 2nd Parliament Secretary for the Druze position by default following the withdrawal of MP Firas Hamdan.
Berri announced that the next session to elect the parliament committees will be held next Tuesday.
Related: Parliamentary Guards Seen Dancing In The Streets Celebrating Nabih Berri’s Win (Video).
