Miqati Announces He Won't Head Elections' Cabinet: SCC Must End Strike to Issue Wage Scale
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Prime Minister Najib Miqati announced on Monday that he will not head the cabinet during the parliamentary elections, confirming that the Orthodox Gathering's draft electoral law will not pass "as he has several ways to block it".
"I am nominated for the elections and for this I will not be a premier during the electoral process,” Miqati said in an interview on MTV, adding that he supports the formation of a “neutral cabinet”.
Restating his total rejection of the "unconstitutional" Orthodox Gathering's draft, Miqati explained that it contradicts with article 27 of the constitution.
“If they want to suggest federalism, let's honestly discuss it at the national dialogue sessions instead of trying to apply it in different ways,” he remarked.
The PM confirmed that the proposal will not pass, revealing that he has “ways to block it”.
He declared: “It will not even reach the Constitutional Council”.
Miqati elaborated saying that it is a matter of “which Lebanon we are looking to build”.
“We are certainly heading towards a wrong path by supporting the Orthodox proposal,” the PM said.
The controversial Orthodox draft law that divides Lebanon into a single district and allows each sect to vote for its own MPs under a proportional representation system, has been rejected by President Michel Suleiman, al-Mustaqbal bloc, Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat, and the March 14 opposition’s Christian independent MPs.
Miqati expressed that reaching consensus over an electoral law is impossible, describing the Fouad Butros proposal as the “most suitable suggestion to be adopted”.
The Butros Committee electoral draft law suggests electing 71 parliamentary seats based on proportional representation while the remaining 57 seats would be elected based on a winner-takes-all system, where each province would be adopted as an electoral district.
“Political factions are looking for their own interests,” he said.
President Suleiman and Miqati had signed earlier on Monday the decree calling on electoral bodies to hold the parliamentary elections on June 9.
Miqati explained that he signed it to “fulfill his constitutional duty”: “As a statesman, the elections must take place despite my opposition to the 1960's law”.
On the ongoing strike staged by the Syndicate Coordination Committee, Miqati said he will not submit the new wage scale for vote if 'he is not convinced", revealing that it is being examined at the moment and promising to refer it to the parliament after the cabinet's upcoming session on March 21.
"The SCC's demands affect the financial stability in Lebanon and I will not accept putting the banks at risk as they protect the Lebanese people's savings,” Miqati stated.
He elaborated: “If the deficit increased, so will the national debt and then Lebanon will enter a dangerous zone”.
“It will all affect the financial and the investment sectors”.
Miqati confirmed that he will not issue anything under pressure: “I will not submit it for vote if the SCC does not end its strike”.
The SCC has announced an open-ended strike two weeks ago over its demand that the government refers the public sector wage raise - approved last year - to parliament for approval.
The SCC has been holding sit-ins and demonstrations near state institutions almost on a daily basis.
The government argues that it is delaying the decision on the funding in an attempt to thoroughly discuss plans to boost the treasury's revenue to cover the expenses of the salaries boost.
On the security situation in the country and the ongoing clashes on the Lebanese-Syrian border, the premier said it is largely affected by political tensions in the country, calling for applying the defense policy submitted by President Suleiman and for withdrawing all weapons from the streets.
“I cannot guarantee that the incidents on the border will not be repeated but they will not lead to severe problems," he remarked, reaffirming the disassociation policy towards Syria's events.
Suleiman's defense policy, to the Baabda Declaration, stipulates that Lebanon should commit to the policy of disassociation to avoid the spread of the unrest in Syria to Lebanese territory.
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04 March 2013, 22:59
Miqati to FM Adnan Mansour: The cabinet's stand is only expressed by the premier and I do not support his view on the frontier situation. We are adopting a disassociation policy towards Syria's events.
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04 March 2013, 22:57
Miqati on the clashes on the Syrian border: I cannot guarantee that these incidents will not be repeated but they will not lead to severe problems.
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04 March 2013, 22:56
Miqati: If we had controlled our border 20 years ago Syrians would have not entered the country in large numbers and the army is doing its best to control the situations.
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04 March 2013, 22:55
Miqati: Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah said he will not be driven into sedition.
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04 March 2013, 22:54
Miqati: I will not allow any Lebanese faction to attack another.
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04 March 2013, 22:53
Miqati on Islamist cleric al-Asir: His demands are being examined and we call him to act wisely and responsibly. The salafist movement is a natural religious calling.
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04 March 2013, 22:51
Miqati: The security forces are taking all precautions and measures in several cases among them kidnapping crimes and 38 suspects have been arrested so far.
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04 March 2013, 22:49
Miqati: The resistance's army against Israel is sacred but it is not tolerated internally. Sunnis have concerns about being targeted and the party's weapons frighten the Lebanese people.
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04 March 2013, 22:48
Miqati called for issuing the defense policy submitted by President Michel Suleiman and said all weapons must be withdrawn from the streets.
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04 March 2013, 22:45
Miqati: Some factions are exploiting statements made by Sunnis but the sect supports the army.
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04 March 2013, 22:44
Miqati on security: Everything is under control and I urge citizens to refrain from spreading rumors. Interior Minister Marwan Charbel assured today that Salafist cleric Dai al-Islam al-Shahhal will not issue a fatwa against the army.
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04 March 2013, 22:42
Miqati: The security situation in Lebanon is largely based on political tensions and we are all in full support of the army.
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04 March 2013, 22:40
Miqati: 60% of the new wage scale has been paid.
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04 March 2013, 22:28
Miqati: We will not vote on anything under pressure and I assure the SCC that the new wage scale will be referred to parliament after March 21. I will not, however, submit it for vote if they do not end their strike.
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04 March 2013, 22:23
Miqati: Speaker Berri advised me to study the new wage scale before referring it for vote. We are discussing it and I think we will be ready after the cabinet's session on March 21.
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04 March 2013, 22:19
Miqati: The SCC's demands affect the financial stability in Lebanon and I will not accept putting the banks at risk as they protect the Lebanese people's savings. I will not seek popularity by supporting this issue.
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04 March 2013, 22:17
Miqati: I will not submit the new wage scale to the parliament for vote if I am not convinced. A limited sit-in is better than a nation-wide strike.
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04 March 2013, 22:16
Miqati on the SCC's demands: If the deficit increased, so will the national debt and then Lebanon will enter a dangerous zone. It will all affect the financial and the investment sectors.
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04 March 2013, 22:11
Miqati: We are committed to the promises we made to the Syndicate Coordination Committee because its cause is righteous for an entire social class.
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04 March 2013, 22:00
Miqati: I will be a candidate in the upcoming parliamentary elections but I will not be the premier during the electoral process. I support a neutral cabinet.
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04 March 2013, 21:56
Miqati: I signed the electoral decree to fulfill my constitutional duty. As a statesman, the elections must take place despite my opposition to the 1960's law.
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04 March 2013, 21:54
Miqati: I will not personally benefit from the 1960's law but I support it because it is applicable at the moment.
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04 March 2013, 21:53
Miqati: Reaching consensus over an electoral law is impossible because political factions are looking for their own interests. I believe the Fouad Butros proposal is the most suitable suggestion.
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04 March 2013, 21:51
Miqati: I have stated at the council of ministers that the Orthodox proposal will not pass and I have my ways to block it. It will not even reach the Constitutional Council. Speaker Berri will not accept a proposal that contradicts with the national pact.
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04 March 2013, 21:50
Miqati: It is a matter of which Lebanon we are looking to build and we are certainly heading towards a wrong path by supporting the Orthodox proposal.
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04 March 2013, 21:48
Miqati: The Orthodox Gathering's draft electoral law is unconstitutional and contradicts with article 27 of the constitution. If they want to suggest federalism, let's honestly discuss it at the national dialogue sessions.
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04 March 2013, 21:45
Miqati: I am the one who offered sacrifices to become a premier.
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04 March 2013, 21:45
Miqati: We are committed to the cabinet's electoral draft. The council of ministers is not coherent and I do not insist on maintaining it nor am I in power for personal reasons.
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04 March 2013, 21:43
Miqati: The opposition keeps blaming the cabinet without submitting real solutions to problems. I support a real opposition and I encourage MPs to voice out their comments in the parliament.
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04 March 2013, 21:40
Miqati: Everyone blames the state for everything going on in the country but people themselves are breaching the law.
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04 March 2013, 21:39
Miqati: I do not support a homogeneous cabinet and there are always disagreements with the opposition and the allies alike.
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04 March 2013, 21:35
PM Najib Miqati in an interview on MTV: My priority is to protect Lebanon and as I succeeded in my first term as a premier, the second cabinet I head will succeed as well.
04 March 2013, 21:58
108
Miqati is a martyr, miqati is a saint..... I'm being sarcastic of course!
He's right about is unconstitutional orthodox law.
04 March 2013, 23:20
93
"The SCC's demands affect the financial stability in Lebanon and I will not accept putting the banks at risk as they protect the Lebanese people's savings."
but the creation of a senate won t affect the financial stability?? LOL... they have the money despite their claims.... they just don t want lebanese to have decent salaries!!!!
04 March 2013, 23:21
94
"The Orthodox Gathering's draft electoral law is unconstitutional and contradicts with article 27 of the constitution."
another blow to this sectarian proposal!!!
05 March 2013, 00:29
76
Thanks for your comments Kiserwani, you said loudly what everyone thinks.
05 March 2013, 09:30
32
Calling Jumblat "Centrist" is like calling Hitler Centrist! those guys want to know the result of the elections prior to the Elections! (I wonder why have the elections in such a case). I wonder why don't they ask the people which election they want instead of couple politicians. Maybe we should have the people vote on the vote-law.
05 March 2013, 19:12
00
So now m8 hates Mikati??? I hate Lebanese ppl! We will never change.
