First Day of Parliamentary Consultations: 59 Votes for Miqati, 49 for Hariri

Demonstrations in support of caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri broke out Monday in Beirut as well as in and around the northern city of Tripoli and in the southern city of Sidon after parliamentary consultations showed that former PM Najib Miqati was winning the battle against Hariri.

Results at the end of Day 1 of binding parliamentary consultations – which showed 59 MPs voted for Miqati while 49 only voted for Hariri – sparked a public outcry.

Hundreds of demonstrators condemning Miqati’s nomination for premiership took to the streets of Tariq Jedideh, Cola, Corniche Mazraa, Cite Sportive as well as Naameh and Jiyyeh south of Beirut and in neighborhoods in and around Tripoli shortly after the results emerged around 5:30pm, blocking roads with burning garbage containers.

Mustaqbal supporters in Saadnayel and Majdel Anjar also blocked the highway linking Beirut to Damascus.

Hizbullah’s Loyalty to the Resistance bloc headed by MP Mohammed Raad, Michel Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and Suleiman Franjieh's bloc as well as other Opposition blocs have all voted for Miqati, including Druze leader Walid Jumblat and six MPs from his bloc.

Following the collapse of Hariri's government, Hizbullah won the support of Jumblat, a longtime kingmaker in Lebanon's politics.

The four other MPs of Jumblat’s Democratic Gathering bloc – Marwan Hamadeh, Mohammed Hajjar, Fouad al-Saad, and Henry Helou -- announced support for Hariri.

At this point, Jumblat emerged from talks with President Michel Suleiman at Baabda Palace, announcing the end of his Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc, after four MPs of the 11-member gathering decided not to back Miqati.

Jumblat, instead, said he was renaming his bloc “The National Struggle Front.”

Among the lawmakers who endorsed Hariri were MPs Michel Murr and Nayla Tueni.

Monday’s consultations included in addition to Hariri, Speaker Nabih Berri whose Development and Liberation bloc also named Miqati.

Berri described the atmosphere as “very, very good” following talks with Suleiman.

The fate of the two-day consultations, which are scheduled to resume on Tuesday, remains unknown following the protests.