BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanon’s parliament on Tuesday voted to hold legislative elections on March 27, parliamentary sources told Reuters.
The earlier than usual date – elections were originally expected to be held in May – was being debated in order not to clash with the holy Islamic fasting month of Ramadan.
It means Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s government has just a few months left in office as it tries to agree a financial recovery plan with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) amidst a deepening economic meltdown.
Once a new parliament is elected, the Mikati cabinet will only act in a caretaker role until a new prime minister is given a vote of confidence and tasked with forming a new government.
(Reporting by Maha El Dahan and Laila Bassam; additional reporting by Lilian Wagdy in Cairo; Editing by Alison Williams)
