(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — Lebanese speaker Nabih Berri expressed opposition against a second extension of Parliament’s term, according to MPs who visited him 
Wednesday, saying his opposition is “firm.”
“I refuse to extend Parliament’s term again, and I am not maneuvering as some may think. The extended chamber proved to be ineffective,” Berri was quoted as saying. “What is the use of extending the life of a Parliament that does not legislate, does not assume its role fully?”
Berri stressed that electing a new president was his main priority, a matter which he said former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and him agreed on at their last encounter.
Hezbollah MPs who visited Berri at his residence in Ain al-Tineh said the party had not made a final decision regarding the parliament’s fate, saying, however, that there is a tendency to support Berri’s stance.
The Lebanese Constitution requires the general election to be held by November 16, 2014.
The elections, originally set for June 2013, were delayed by Parliament last May. MPs cited the security situation as the cause of the delay, but the inability of rival parties to agree on a new election law also made holding the election impossible.