Change and Reform Bloc Warns of Reciprocity in Civil Service Appointments

Energy Minister Jebran Bassil stressed on Saturday that Premier Najib Miqati’s suggestion of candidates for posts reserved for Christians in state institutions during a cabinet session earlier in the week was “unconstitutional” and warned of reciprocity.

“We haven’t changed our stance in terms of the unconstitutionality of Miqati’s behavior either by holding onto the names that he suggested or by suspending the work of the government,” Bassil told An Nahar daily.

The Change and Reform bloc refuses that anyone sets conditions on it, the minister said, warning that the bloc’s ministers would “interfere in the share of Muslims if they want to deal with the Christian share this way.”

Miqati suspended cabinet sessions on Wednesday after the ministers of Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun’s bloc criticized him for naming the civil servants without consulting with Aoun on their names.

Bassil said that the role of the minister in the appointments should be respected.

He also stressed in remarks to As Safir newspaper that it wasn’t the responsibility of Aoun’s ministers to find a way out of the crisis. “It is the responsibility of the person who stirred the problem,” he said in reference to the PM.

“The issue is not personal,” he said, adding that “it is about the constitution, rights and prerogatives.”

His remarks came as Miqati stressed that he won’t call for new cabinet sessions unless the ministers loyal to Aoun make a pledge that they would hold productive meetings with the rest of the government members.

An Nahar said that several other members of the cabinet have held those ministers responsible for the deadlock, saying they are objecting any proposal made inside the government.

It quoted the ministers from other blocs as denying that Miqati’s objective was to deactivate the cabinet.

But sources close to the Change and Reform bloc told As Safir that the FPM would launch starting next week a campaign aimed at rejecting alleged attempts to “marginalize Aoun and weaken him.”

The cabinet crisis doesn’t need any mediation, the sources told al-Liwaa daily, saying Miqati should abide by the constitution.

Both sides have confirmed that no mediation efforts have been launched to resolve the cabinet crisis as Miqati and Aoun hold onto their stance on the appointment of civil servants.