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Berri Rejects to Engage in ‘Bargains’ in Exchange for His Re-election as Lebanon’s Speaker

Speaker Nabih Berri (AFP)
Speaker Nabih Berri (AFP)
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Berri Rejects to Engage in ‘Bargains’ in Exchange for His Re-election as Lebanon’s Speaker

Speaker Nabih Berri (AFP)
Speaker Nabih Berri (AFP)

Outgoing Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, the eldest MP in the new parliament, has called for a parliamentary session on Tuesday to elect the speaker, the deputy speaker and the members of the speaker’s office, to pave the way for the formation of a new government.
According to well-informed sources, Berri has called for the session, regardless of the number of deputies who will vote in his favor, in order to reject claims that his non-election would hinder the formation of a new government.

According to the sources, Berri was keen to call for holding the session within the constitutional deadlines, because he would not allow suspending the parliamentary process until he secures his re-election by a majority of 65 deputies, i.e. half the number of Parliament members plus one.

If the parliamentary majority is not secured in the first two rounds, Berri may be re-elected in a third voting round, provided that the quorum required for its convening is complete.

In the absence of any form of compromise, Tuesday’s parliamentary session will inevitably see multiple candidates for the position of deputy speaker, including new faces in the parliament.

In this regard, sources close to the deputies representing the change movement told Asharq Al-Awsat that discussions were underway to draw up a unified road map and decide on a stance regarding the election of the parliament speaker.

On the other hand, the Democratic Parliamentary Gathering, headed by MP Taymour Walid Jumblatt, said that it would deal “realistically” with the election of the speaker of parliament, as long as there is no candidate running against Berri.

Sources close to the Gathering noted that its position on the election of the deputy speaker was currently subject to coordination with the other “sovereign forces.”

The Free Patriotic Movement’s Change and Reform bloc decided to nominate MP Elias Bou Saab for the position of deputy speaker. The head of the FPM, MP Gebran Bassil, who rebelled against the will of his ally Hezbollah, stated that he would not support the re-election of Berri unconditionally.

Berri, for his part, was quoted as saying that he would not engage in “bargains” in exchange for his election.

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UN Expects Deteriorating Food Security in Yemen in Next Four Months

Over a quarter of IDPs in four government-controlled areas experienced moderate to severe hunger in April. Photo: UN
Over a quarter of IDPs in four government-controlled areas experienced moderate to severe hunger in April. Photo: UN
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UN Expects Deteriorating Food Security in Yemen in Next Four Months

Over a quarter of IDPs in four government-controlled areas experienced moderate to severe hunger in April. Photo: UN
Over a quarter of IDPs in four government-controlled areas experienced moderate to severe hunger in April. Photo: UN

A UN report expected that the food security situation in Yemen will continue to worsen over the next four months, saying over a quarter of internally displaced people (IDPs) in four government-controlled areas experienced moderate to severe hunger in April.

“In April 2025, the Household Hunger Scale (HHS), which indicates extreme starvation, showed that slightly over a quarter (25.3%) of IDPs in selected four government-controlled areas (Aden, Lahj, Marib and Taizz) experienced moderate to severe hunger,” said the report issued this week by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

It showed that the prevalence of food security deteriorated slightly from their March levels and that the situation among IDPs is expected to worsen further in the months ahead through September as the lean season sets in from May.

“Around 47% of households in the four governorates had inadequate food consumption, with 34% consuming fewer than four food groups,” FAO said. “About 17.3% of IDP households experienced severe food deprivation, as measured by poor food consumption score,” it added.

In its report, the second assessment conducted in Yemen this year, the UN agency noted that IDPs residing in camp sites generally faced higher rates of severe food deprivation (30%-42%) compared to those living within host communities in Aden, Lahj, and Taizz.

Notably, it said, IDPs in Marib Camp had the lowest levels of severe food deprivation.

Also, FAO said households relying on natural resources for their main source of livelihoods (like bee production and collection/sale of forestry products), casual wage laborers, livestock keepers, pensioners, and those dependent on welfare or charity were among the most food-insecure groups.

About 72% of IDP households experienced various economic shocks - such as high food and fuel prices and limited income opportunities - that affected their ability to access food.

About 58% reported a decrease in their primary income over the past month, with 30% stating their income had more than halved, it said.

In the report conducted with the government’s Executive Unit for the Management of Displacement Camps in Yemen, FAO said that approximately 20% of households resorted to food-based coping strategies, mainly consuming less preferred diets due to food shortages or lack of income to purchase food.

About 66% of surveyed IDP households employed crisis coping strategies, while 10% resorted to emergency coping mechanisms, it added.

Concerning the Food Consumption Score (FCS), FAO said the prevalence of inadequate food consumption (borderline and poor) among IDPs remained relatively stable in the selected four governorates between March and April 2025, with a slight increase from 46.7% to 47.3%.

Meanwhile in camps, the rate worsened significantly, rising from 42.8% to 53.6%, indicating a notable decline in food access or quality.

Conversely, among IDPs in host communities, there was a slight improvement, with the rate decreasing from 47.5% to 46.1%.

This trend, it said, underscores the growing food security and welfare disparities between IDPs in camps and those living within host communities.

According to the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), the proportion of individuals facing immediate food insecurity requiring urgent intervention has slightly increased by 2% since March 2025 with 36% of IDPs in camps and 29% of those in host communities are affected during the reporting month, FAO said.