Mashnouq Urges Aoun to 'Reevaluate His Stance' on Electoral Law, Warns on Stability
Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq on Monday called on President Michel Aoun to “reevaluate his stance” regarding the choices he might resort to should the parties fail to agree on a new electoral law.
“President Michel Aoun is a real political leader and he does not need to launch stances to gain popularity, that's why I urge him to reevaluate his stance regarding the ongoing debate over the new electoral law,” Mashnouq said in an interview with al-Araby TV.
“The presidency and the president's remarks should not become subjects of contention,” Mashnouq cautioned.
Aoun had recently warned that he prefers “vacuum” over holding the parliamentary polls under the 1960 electoral law or another extension of the parliament's term. He also announced that he might call for a popular referendum should the political forces fail to reach a new electoral law.
Asked whether disputes over the new electoral law would harm the political harmony between Aoun and Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Mashnouq said “it is too early to say whether or not it will be affected.”
“We must also remind that the president had twice announced that the elections would be held on time after we received clear messages from the international community that any other calls would represent a coup against political stability and against the settlement,” the minister added.
“The election of the president and the formation of the government were the result of an internationally-backed regional settlement, so let no one think that the president was elected by chance... This was the result of a declared regional settlement, and it was not me who declared it, but rather the Iranian foreign minister and others including the EU's foreign affairs chief,” Mashnouq explained.
He warned: “It is not easy to disregard all the regional forces and to disregard the settlement. This is a coup against stability, especially that we are asking for help from these countries.”
Asked whether a new electoral law will be approved, Mashnouq said: “In my personal opinion, they will not reach one, although I hope they will be able to pass a new law.”
Mashnouq also said that the rising Free Patriotic Movement-Lebanese Forces alliance “needs agreements and consensus with others,” stressing that “no one can eliminate others in the country.”
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://naharnet.com/stories/en/225028 |