Presidential Polls Postponed again as Hariri Slams Aoun's Claims on Legitimacy of Parliament
The 37th session to elect a president was postponed once again on Wednesday following a lack of quorum at parliament as Mustaqbal Movement leader MP Saad Hariri criticized head of the Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Aoun's assertions that parliament is “illegitimate.”
He said: “If we elected Aoun as president, would the parliament then become legitimate?”
Aoun is running for the presidency along with fellow March 8 camp member MP Suleiman Franjieh, who was endorsed by Hariri in late 2015.
“With all due respect to Aoun, this is a legitimate parliament,” stressed Hariri after the failed electoral session.
Speaker Nabih Berri scheduled the next session for April 18.
Asked by reporters to comment on Franjieh's absence from Wednesday's round of polls, Hariri replied: “Franjieh is the master of his own fate and it is up to him to decide to take part in the elections or not.”
He voiced his optimism however that the presidential impasse will be resolved, while blaming those who are obstructing the polls “for all the wrongs in the country.”
Overcoming the vacuum that started in 2014 with the end of the term of President Michel Suleiman is key to resolving the crisis in Lebanon, asserted Hariri, echoing similar statements made repeatedly by Berri.
“We will continue to head to parliament to perform our constitutional duty,” vowed the lawmaker.
The Change and Reform bloc and Hizbullah's Loyalty to the Resistance bloc have been boycotting the presidential elections over lingering disputes with the March 14 alliance.
Hizbullah announced that it will continue to boycott the polls until it has guarantees that its candidate, Aoun, will be elected president.
M.T.
G.K.
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