Beirut: Although Speaker Nabih Berri lauded the Lebanese Government’s decree that called on the electorate to participate in the November 2014 parliamentary elections, the move came a day late — and hence was illegal — even if few believed that it would boost the chances for holding the polls on time.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam declared that the Cabinet wished to send a message that it was ready to hold elections even if the decree came 18 hours after the expiry of the legal deadline. The affable premier revealed that the decree was not on the cabinet’s agenda on Tuesday, and that there were no debates held, even if all ministers agreed to sign it.

Local papers carried the bizarre affirmation of an unnamed ministerial source, which claimed, inter-alia, that “the signing of the decree 18 hours after the deadline to issue it [was] not considered as a legal violation, and [that it did] not need a draft law from Parliament to extend the deadline.”

Irrespective of such misinformation that passed for legal pronouncements, many interpreted this manoeuvre as a ploy, whose goal was to implement a pre-determined accord among senior officials.

According to widespread belief, an accord was already reached to allow parliament to extend its mandate once again, following the 17-month postponement that was voted on May 31, 2013.

Critics found the ploy distasteful, arguing that another extension essentially meant postponing sorely needed decisions to move the country ahead, with bloggers adding colorful comments.

[cedars2] said: “Why don’t they just make their posts permanent and then pass it off to their children while they’re at it.” [Patriot60] was equally incensed: “What deputies? When was the last time a law was passed in Lebanon? Besides, why bother when few follow what’s already on our books, while just about everyone tries to skirt the law on a daily basis. It’s our national sport.”

Press reports revealed that the Speaker told his visitors that he was “not thinking of [his] personal interests to stay as Parliament speaker” since he was “the dean of parliamentary speakers in the world” and appreciated the lack of any value in a parliament that did not meet to elect a president nor to legislate.

The hubris aside, the Lebanese parliament distinguished itself with its poor record, as members were among the highest paid for the least amount of work anywhere, save for frequent media appearances to regurgitate well-rehearsed lines that put to shame the world’s spin-doctors.

In the event, the decree that called on the electorate to vote should have been published before August 18, because the Constitution stipulated so.

It remained to be determined whether the Cabinet would move the goal posts by re-scheduling the polls now scheduled for November 16, at least to stay within the law, although such technicalities were secondary conditions. Absent a solution, Lebanon was likely to fall in a legal void on November 20, 2014, the date when the current parliament’s term expired.