Parliament Fails Anew to Elect President as Geagea Calls for Holding Hizbullah, FPM Accountable
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The presidential election session was postponed for the sixteenth time on Wednesday following a lack of quorum at parliament as Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea reiterated his accusation that the Change and Reform bloc was obstructing the polls.
Speaker Nabih Berri scheduled the new electoral session for December 10.
This is the fifteenth time the elections was postponed over a lack of quorum.
The first session was held, but none of the candidates received the sufficient amount of votes to be elected president.
Geagea declared in a press conference that Hizbullah and the Change and Reform bloc are responsible for the deadlock, demanding that they be held accountable for their actions.
“The Change and Reform bloc is hindering the polls by forcing us to choose between a strong president or vacuum,” he added.
“We disagree with the bloc on its view of a strong president. Their candidate may be strong in his recklessness as demonstrated during some civil war incidents,” he said in reference to bloc chief MP Michel Aoun.
“No one had the right to force others to function according to their whims,” noted Geagea, who is a presidential candidate.
“The Change and Reform bloc has yet to return to its conscience and rectify the political situation in Lebanon,” he lamented.
Moreover, he remarked that Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had announced recently that Aoun was the March 8 camp's presidential candidate, “so why didn't their MPs head to parliament and elect him?”
“A large number of our problems will be solved with the election of a president. It will rid us of this government, end the concept of the extension of parliament's term, and breathe life into our economy,” said the LF leader.
Addressing renewed discussions on the new parliamentary electoral law, Geagea said: “A new law will serve all the factions and ease tensions.”
He added that following the extension of parliament's term, the LF had agreed with Berri to resume the meetings of the committee tasked with devising a new law.
“Each party should propose its own electoral law and then each draft-law would be subject to a vote. The one with the greatest support will be adopted,” he explained.
“The Change and Reform bloc has however started hindering these efforts by demanding an explanation of Article 24 of the constitution,” he revealed.
“Why is the bloc now demanding the explanation of this article? It enjoyed a majority in the cabinet of former PM Najib Miqati and could have tackled the case back then,” he noted.
Lebanon has been without a president since May when the term of Michel Suleiman ended.
Hizbullah and the Change and Reform bloc have been boycotting electoral sessions due to a disagreement with the March 14 camp over a compromise presidential candidate.
Geagea had previously accused them of adopting such measures in order to blackmail political blocs into electing Aoun as president.
Despite the ongoing rift over the Christian's most prominent post at the state, lawmakers attended earlier this month a session to extend their tenure. The MPs voted once again to delay parliamentary elections and extended their mandate until 2017, which was met by a huge popular dismay.
The session however was boycotted by Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement lawmakers and the Kataeb Party, which is affiliated to the March 14 alliance.
In May 2013, the parliament voted to extend its own mandate for 17 months after the rival political parties failed to reach a deal on a new electoral law other than the one based on 50 small-sized districts in a winner-takes-all system.
M.T.
H.K.
19 November 2014, 14:10
12
since all our muppets politicians wait for the string to be pulled by their respective manipulator the only way out is the people
in civilized democratic countries when there is a blockage due to constitutional failure or political blockage of parliament they resort to the people by referendum
god bless democracy (power to the people )
and may democracy expand to all the arab world
19 November 2014, 15:15
62
Its the people who scream "DEMOCRACY" who rebuked people voting.
long live m14 & their democracy lol
19 November 2014, 14:22
52
For your info FT Dr. Jaja is the strongest, he has the biggest christian block in parliament, he doesn't changes his mind so often especially on beneficial subjects for the christians in leb in general such as orthodox law n lately the p. prolongation, plus ++ he is doctor not a fake General!
19 November 2014, 18:39
03
I seriously object to seeing lunatic pictures on avatars , not only annoying, disgusting, looser, corrupt, sectarian, flip floper, deserter, maniac, lier, coward but also lacs any feelings of what he is doing siding himself with terrorist groups, controking lebanon whom he claimed to be fighting akong with Syrian rygeme.
19 November 2014, 18:53
03
I seriously object to seeing lunatics pictures on avatar, not only annoying, disgusting, lesser, corrupt, sectarian, flio floper, deserter, maniac, lier, coward, but also lacs any feelings of what he is doing siding himself with terrorist groups, controlling Lebanon with syrian rygeme whom he claims fighting against.
19 November 2014, 15:13
52
“The Change and Reform bloc is hindering the polls by forcing us to choose between a strong president or vacuum,” he added.
No one expected you to approve of a strong President, after all you agreed to sign the Taef which crippled the Presidents powers.
Fake is fake no matter how many coats you lay over it.
Be it a doctorrrr with no qual or a murderer allowed to run for Pres.
19 November 2014, 17:21
01
another day, another winter, another year, another war, another planet, as flamethrower embarks on a journey to achieve his illusive dream of achieving fame and glory in nonstop posting of propaganda and misinformation
19 November 2014, 17:37
04
and lahoud as the one allowing syrian forces to enter beirut and kill officers under the cover of aoun....
19 November 2014, 18:55
11
Ohh how come this is the first time we kmow about this... give us more details please... interesting... any one can confirm?
19 November 2014, 15:28
18
Who cares how many votes they might get! Let them do their job of comming down to vote first. The problem is beyond numbers and formalities. A clear systamatic will to obstruct and take thr parliament and the country hostage by hizEBola and the Lunatic General runaway.
19 November 2014, 15:46
01
Henri Helou was nominated by Walid Jumblat, Michel Aoun was nominated by Hassan Nasrallah. It seems the only truly independent Christian leader is the one who nominated himself and his allies then followed.
19 November 2014, 16:27
05
In every other country that has a Parliament, the Speaker dispatches a Sergeant at Arms to go and get the Members to the Chamber when a vote is called, rather than allow them to boycott called sessions of the Chamber.
The Lebanese Constitution further requires that the Electoral Session, once called, must remain in continual session until a President is elected, Article 74 and 75 of the Lebanese Constitution.
This idea of calling a session and allowing boycotts and then going to recess for another week or so is Berri acting in collaboration with Hezbollah and Aoun to further erode and deteriorate the state.
Where are the Lebanese People?? It is there country. Why are they not in the streets demanding action of their elected officials??
19 November 2014, 16:30
05
Everyone seems to have accepted as fact the de facto situation that the people or their elected representatives do not elect the Lebanese President. Rather it is the foreign patrons. The Christians have the US and France, the Sunni have KSA and the Shia have Iran. So it takes a collaboration between the US, KSA and Iran before an acceptable president is designated for election and that collaboration has not yet happened because the US-Iran nuclear talks are still ongoing.
It seems Lebanon is still in the mindset of an Ottoman province where we await the word of the Pasha before making public decisions. When will the country accept its own independence??
19 November 2014, 17:39
04
"Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea reiterated his accusation that the Change and Reform bloc was obstructing the polls."
it is not their fault: it is the fault of ALL the inefficient MPs paid to do nothing while the citizens suffer with the blessing of the lebanese people....
19 November 2014, 17:47
13
Accountability: Unfortunately, you are correct to this point. The US gives us nice words and speeches, but when it comes time to really lend a hand when the country is face to face with proxy armies that are armed by KSA or Iran, not much is forthcoming. We get old beat up equipment from the American junk pile.
Why?? Because the Israelis are afraid that if the weapons fall into the hands of Hezbollah they will be used against Israel. Well here's a news break . . . Hezbollah already has advanced weaponry courtesy of Iran. They don't need to raid the Lebanese Army stockpiles. Hezbollah has night vision goggles. The LAF does not. They have shoulder fired SAM missiles, the works. So this is a lame excuse not to fully support the LAF, but it is continually used. And the French are not much better.
19 November 2014, 17:51
13
@peace. I will go further. It is not only the fault of ALL of the MPs but also the fault of the Lebanese people who elected the MPs that they are not out in the streets protesting the inactivity of their duly elected officials.
Democracy is not only about holding an election, it is also about holding those elected accountable back to the people who elected them. Aoun has no right to deny to the people who voted for FPM not to perform his duty and to attend sessions of Parliament. Neither does any member of FPM, Hezbollah or AMAL or any of the other boycotting members of Parliament. What are the boycotting???
Geagea can complain every Wednesday after Aoun makes his Tuesday comments, but why doesn't Geagea get his people into the street to demand action?? That would be more effective than speech making.
19 November 2014, 18:32
03
@beiruti = some responsible people demonstrated in front of the parliament to oppose extension: they were insulted by the MPs (sign that the MP despise lebanese people!) and were harshly dispersed by the army.... no comment.
the problem is that they were only a handful: as you say: lebanese people don't give a sh... and then complain! they just deserve the sh... they are in!
19 November 2014, 19:28
02
100% agree with all 3 of you And will the silent majority do something or keep staying on the sidelines no opinion or a stand against issues that span from living in degnity to appointment of a president.
19 November 2014, 18:04
15
They should attend all parliamentary sessions, who wins is secondary...
19 November 2014, 18:35
02
@peace, those MPs can do that to a handful, but they can't do that when the people come out in force as we have done in the past when we got fed up with the Syrian Occupation. This is a worse occupation. We have Parliament occupied by a bunch of pan handlers who will not take action for the people while they await the decision of their money patrons to tell them what to do.
They are not worthy of the people and it should be the people hurling insults at them rather than the other way around
19 November 2014, 18:45
04
Some people are here to entertain us with iranisn jokes, where going to parliament is for having fun with ayatolollah kissing hands... Peace lover, we are in deep trouble if we put ..their Ayatollah before Lebanon.
19 November 2014, 19:37
03
That is so important and people in my area know whoto elect. Our area looks like heaven Iin comparison to other places where the culture "Hate of life as well as love of Death" Prevail.
19 November 2014, 20:31
03
Someone from the Hezbo-Aouniyeh group on this forum please explain something to me:
so Hezbollah announced Aoun is their candidate, and Aoun said he doesn't wanna discuss any other candidate, and they're still boycotting??? Please tell me why they don't go to Parliament to vote...
19 November 2014, 20:38
02
A) There's no point until they get Jumblatt
B) Hezbollah hasn't convinced Berri yet
C) Franjieh is threatening Aoun in secret meetings
D) Hezbollah really doesn't want a president
E) Aoun can't run against a murderer
F) They're awaiting the outcome of the nuclear talks between the P5+1 and Iran
