Presidential Polls Postponed again as Hariri Slams Aoun's Claims on Legitimacy of Parliament
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
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.
23 March 2016, 14:13
108
Caporal is the greatest traitor in the History of Lebanon. He gave a Christian legitimity to Ebola and destroyed the country beyond repair.
23 March 2016, 15:19
94
More evidence that this is not a Constitutional Republic at all. FPM with 20 MPs, and Hezbollah with 13 for a total of 33 MP's out of a Parliament of 128, 2/3 of which is needed for a "Berri Quorum", add to that Jumblatt's 7 and Frangieh's 3 and there is an electoral boycott that locks up the government.
Frangieh will not go to parliament to be elected only to face possible assassination by Hezbollah. Aoun will not go to lose. Hezbollah will not go so as to continue its paralysis and Jumblatt stays away out of principle. One cannot sit on the fence if one attends the electoral session.
This is not constitutional government, but it is a confederation of confessionalists. Each with his own interests which supersede that of the State and its institutions, which remain largely a fiction, rather than reality.
23 March 2016, 15:24
95
Power in Lebanon is a zero-sum game. As long as an equilibrium exists and such an equilibrium now exits, it is very difficult to move the ball down the field, unless first the equilibrium is upset, an imbalance occurs then all parties move to shift positions to a new equilibrium.
Currently, Christians are content to share among themselves the power of the Christian Presidency which before rested in only one Personality.
Hezbollah is content that the Lebanese State Institutions remain paralyzed and incapable of contesting Hezbollah's usurpation of the rights and powers that should belong only to the State and its institutions.
Jumblatt is not contested in the Chouf, which is all that he cares about.
Only the Sunni are left not at a good place. Salaam is exercising the powers of the PM over a caretaker government that has little to no power over public affairs in Lebanon.
Before there can be change, those who are content have to not be content.
23 March 2016, 17:39
72
The whole matter of a quorum is making a mockery of the whole Lebanese political system.
It is about time that someone, presumably the Speaker of Parliament, decided that the nexyt session will take place and elect a President irrespective of the number of MP's present. Only then will those who are sabotaging the attempts will allow their MP's to be present and vote for whoever they think should be the President.
If there are more than 2 candidates and no one gains over 50% in the first round of voting, then a second round will take place an hour later between the two leaders from the first round.
Then FINALLY Lebanon will have a President.
23 March 2016, 19:17
35
You have divided this country by spreading hatred everywhere. Almost impossible to live with such retarded people.
Pity. Real pity. Fourty years ago the Shi3a were a million times better than today!!!
23 March 2016, 19:20
46
To all no-brain and zero IQ:
To please you : I am S3oodi, Israeli, Sahyuni, Amrikani, Inglizi, Fransi...
Ruu7 tok w muut!!!
23 March 2016, 19:30
25
Sorry. Thank you for reminding me. I am of course CIA, Mossad, KGB, MI5, and 007 gang...
23 March 2016, 19:23
33
What about "one person one vote" in Lebanon and no more sectarianism in politics ?
23 March 2016, 19:40
23
i guess then that ALL FPM MP's have refused their salaries as they would be illegally paid by an illegal parliament, ma hek?
or are they still taking their money and hypocritically call the institution that pays them illegal? LOL.....
