Salam Rejects Veto Power, Prioritizes Productivity Not Cabinet Shape
Premier-designate Tammam Salam reiterated on Saturday that he rejected giving veto power to any party, saying his priority was forming a government based on trust and good performance.
“The nature of the cabinet should take into consideration the nation's interest,” Salam said from Baabda Palace after meeting President Michel Suleiman.
“The shape of the government is not the essence. The most important thing is it's performance,” he said.
Salam stressed that forming a 24-member cabinet in which the three major parties – March 8 alliance, March 14 coalition and the centrists - would have equal representation was necessary.
This prevents giving veto power to any party, he said. “I hold onto it because it allows the government to be in harmony and productive.”
The March 8 alliance and mainly Hizbullah are requesting a veto power, claiming that their representation in the government should be based on their parliamentary weight.
But Salam called for an “atmosphere of trust” among future cabinet members as opposed to rivalry on division of shares.
He said there is a division of power in the political system, and it would be “undemocratic” to form a cabinet that is the parliament’s miniature.
Salam also called for cooperation rather than bringing political differences to the government.
He refused to give himself a deadline to form the government, saying “I don't count the days.”
But he told reporters at the presidential palace that he had a moral duty to exert all efforts to come up with a line-up without any further delay.
The PM-designate's meeting with Suleiman came after the extension of parliament's mandate entered into force.
The parliament extended its term for 17 months after the rival parties failed to agree on a new electoral law.
After midnight Thursday, the extension law became valid after the Constitutional Council, which was set to study petitions filed against the legislature's move, failed to meet over lack of quorum
During this period, Salam's efforts to form a new government had come to a standstill.
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