The Lebanese Parliament approved the law that extends the operation of Electricité de Zahlé (EDZ) for 2 additional years.
EDZ is the private electrical distribution company that has been providing and maintaining 24/7 electrical power in Zahle and surrounding areas in the Governorate of Beqaa.
Parliament’s approval of the extension of the EDZ’s contract comes after a month of repeated protests by locals, as well as calls by officials, for the renewal of the contract and against the company’s complete relinquishment to the state.
“If there had been a government and an energy ministry that inspire confidence, we would have handed [EDZ] over, but we have no confidence in this state nor in those who received the Ministry of Energy in the past ten years,” MP Cesar Maalouf stated earlier in December.
This legislation is one of several that have been approved by the Lebanese Parliament on Monday, including one criminalizing sexual harassment and others relating to domestic abuse and banking secrecy.
