Aoun-Jumblat Power Struggle Paralyzes Government
Premier Najib Miqati’s cabinet was in tatters on Thursday after differences between Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat on a controversial electricity bill spiraled out of control.
There was little hope that the cabinet would endorse the electricity plan on Sept. 7. On Wednesday, the government again failed to reach an agreement on the bill.
The disagreement between Aoun and Jumblat revolves around the draft law that was proposed by the FPM chief to grant his son-in-law Energy Minister Jebran Bassil $1.2 billion to build power plants to generate 700 megawatts of electricity.
Cabinet ministers loyal to Jumblat have suggested the formation of a committee which, along with Bassil, would oversee the allocation of the funds. But Aoun’s ministers strongly opposed it.
In remarks published Thursday, PSP officials accused the FPM of escalation, while Aoun loyalists said that Jumblat was hindering the endorsement of the draft law for political reasons.
The cabinet is now in a deadlock particularly that Aoun has threatened to withdraw his ministers if the government doesn’t approve the draft law.
The counter accusations are also a sign that the differences between the two leaders went beyond the details of the allocation of the funds and turned into a power struggle that could paralyze the government for months or even lead to its collapse.
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