FPM Says Suleiman's Election was 'Biggest Stab to Constitution'
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The Free Patriotic Movement lashed out Wednesday at former president Michel Suleiman, describing his election in 2008 as “the biggest stab to constitution.”
“The remarks that were voiced in a friendly Arab country by a Lebanese official who belongs to the past were unfortunate, especially that statesmen must be keen on the internal unity of the Lebanese during their foreign trips,” Education Minister Elias Bou Saab, who is close to FPM chief MP Michel Aoun, tweeted.
Three days ago, Suleiman made a veiled jab at Aoun during a visit to the UAE, saying a weak president is one who is “seeking to ensure the continuity in power of his children or sons-in-law.”
“This is the weak president who must not reach” the Baabda Palace, Suleiman added.
Bou Saab snapped back in his tweets, saying: “He who is strongly calling today for respecting the Constitution has forgotten that his election to his post was the biggest stab to constitution since independence.”
“Has his memory failed him?” the minister added.
He was referring to Suleiman's election in May 2008 following a national dialogue conference in the Qatari capital Doha.
Article 49 of the Constitution stipulates that “it is not possible to elect judges, Grade One civil servants, or their equivalents in all public institutions to the Presidency during their term of office.”
Suleiman was serving as army commander when he was elected president by the then parliament.
“Great statesmen remain great when they leave power,” Bou Saab added, noting that Suleiman is “refusing to admit that he is not in power anymore.”
Against the backdrop of a dispute over the mechanism of cabinet's work, a new yet unofficial ministerial bloc has emerged in recent days.
The bloc comprises three ministers loyal to Suleiman, three to the Kataeb Party and two pro-March 14 independents.
The new grouping held its second meeting on Wednesday at Kataeb chief Amin Gemayel's residence. The first meeting was held at Suleiman's house.
The bloc rejects any encroachment on the president's powers and is refusing any modification of the cabinet's work mechanism amid the current presidential crisis.
Y.R.
25 February 2015, 22:57
56
Abu Saab, President Michel Suleiman earned the public respect by placing his life on the line, during the Camp Bared incident. If it was not for him, you would not have a country to practice constitution.
BTW, How did you earn public respect, licking Syrian boots?
Suleiman is a former President and should be addressed as such..
25 February 2015, 23:22
1813
The biggest stab against the constitution is NOT electing a president.
25 February 2015, 23:29
53
Guys guys cool it this is Elias Bou Saab after all, based on his comedic display at the education minister you'll just have to wait two or three days before he come out again and instils the exact opposite is true.
26 February 2015, 09:22
56
I read the article earlier when I got home. It seems flamethrower and his aliases voted hahaha!
26 February 2015, 15:04
52
Liberty it's absolutely clear that M8 trolls are doing this dirty job, but hey, let's move on, who cares really.
26 February 2015, 13:10
72
I had some respects for this minister, but now that he has unveiled his mask and allowed his brainwashed state to say such stupidities, I now view him just like the old monkey he keeps following. For you information Mr. so-called minister, the best blessing Lebanon was given in recent times was the election of Suleiman. This man stood his ground and went by his principles as a real soldier, officer and gentleman. Had it not been for Suleiman, then crooks like the M8 side that you belong to, would have sold Lebanon to whoever paid highest bid. Suleiman prevented Lebanon from going down and because of that gave Lebanon time to rebuild its armed forces. Your clown of boss Aoun will never see that seat, even if he insults a million times a day or using such weak brains as yours, Lebanon is now on solid rails, thanks to Suleiman. You've nothing on him, nothing, shameful man you are.
26 February 2015, 13:13
72
Then Mr. Bou Saab, Suleiman has proven to your shameful likes that he bears no greed, when the date for him came to leave Baabda, he left. Now if this was Aoun, trust me Mr. Minister, your grumpy old man would have created a million pretexts to stay in Baabda, even if he had to create another war, or create another million lies, Aoun would have stayed. Now see the difference between a man of honor and dignity compared to your old greedy Aoun who has NO dignity, NO honor, just a plain coward, big mouthed liar and insulter per excellence. Mr. Saab, you were once viewed with some respect, now you are just another used old sponge, best thrown away.
26 February 2015, 13:32
25
I have a lot of respect about what Suleiman did as a president, like facilitating the Baabda agreement that exposed Hizbollah as group with no national interest whatsoever.
But when it comes to what he said about Aoun during his visit to UAE, I think that it was below his level. Like Bou Saab says, statesmen (including former) must be keen on national unity during trips abroad. It puts Lebanese politics in a laughing-stock when they decide to go for slander in another mans house. And if he wants to bring up the problem of political inheritance, why not adress it as a ganeral lebanese problem? Starting with Hariri, Jumblatt, Gemayel etc. Why single out Aoun?
26 February 2015, 15:02
53
When a man like Suleiman reacts to the claoun Aoun, it means then that he is totally exasperated with the dirty tongue of the old man. Aoun needs once in a while to be given the dry shave treatment, he shouldn't expect to have th arena all to him, there are times when people must react in kind. Nothing that Suleiman said was bad, it was a well deserving reaction to a brat grown too old playing tricks on decent people, Aoun got what he truly deserved, simple.
26 February 2015, 18:07
00
pityful desperate M8ers...
till suleiman did not criticize hezbollah he was a good president. the day he started then he was the worse president ever...
this sums up what M8 is all about: defending hezbollah more than the country itself....
