Suleiman Rejects Signing $5.9 Billion Bill, Says Elections to be Held on Time
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
President Michel Suleiman shrugged off on Thursday the pressure exerted on him by Hizbullah, Amal and the Free Patriotic Movement to sign the $5.9 billion extra-budgetary spending bill.
In remarks to reporters based in Baabda Palace, Suleiman reiterated his rejection to sign the bill that is set to legalize the spending of Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s government .
He stressed that the bill includes constitutional violations and that the parliament should discuss the draft-law taking into consideration the amendments introduced by the legislative finance and budget committee.
Asked about his latest virtual dispute with FPM chief Michel Aoun, Suleiman said he never begged to be chosen as head of state. “Let the politicians from now on not choose a consensual president,” he told the journalists.
Suleiman and Aoun rattled sabers last week when the FPM leader rejected a consensual president and said on his party’s Facebook page that the future president should lead a parliamentary bloc rather than beg at the door of some ministers.
The president snapped back on Twitter, saying a consensual president does not beg for the presidency and on the contrary, everyone asks him to accept the post of president.
The journalists’ questions also focused on the assassination attempt against Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea and the ensuing dispute between the March 8 forces and the March 14 opposition coalition on the so-called telecom data.
Suleiman said the Lebanese should wait for the results of the probe instead of throwing accusations at each other, adding he supported giving the data to security agencies to help them in their investigation.
He revealed that the draft-law on the telecom data was the subject of a revision.
Suleiman also bragged in his remarks to the reporters that he is “the first Lebanese president to implement the Taef Accord without Syrian help” when asked about his authorities.
On the parliamentary elections, the president said the 2013 polls would be held on time and insisted that the winner-takes-all law of 1960 should be amended so as to allow Lebanese expatriates to vote.
Several Lebanese parties are calling for the adoption of a draft-law that divides Lebanon into larger districts and is based on proportional representation despite the rejection of al-Mustaqbal bloc leader ex-PM Saad Hariri and Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid Jumblat.
“Whether under the 1960 law or another one, the elections will be held on time,” he stressed.
04 May 2012, 13:36
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Aoun is so disrespectful towards our President. I feel Aoun ought to publicly apologize!
04 May 2012, 14:06
110
Mr.President if we are to ask you about your achievements during your 4 years mandate, what would you say?? honestly did you do anything but stand in the way of reform? when you leave in 2 years will you have anything to be proud about? (exept for your classy nearsighted glasses)
04 May 2012, 15:31
70
as for agreeing on him, this is exactly what is resentfull, we backed him up and then he betrayed us for 30 silver coins. as for Lahoud well you are right he was just a Syrian puppet and when he was president FPM were persecuted, but at least he Made "sad Chabrou7" the Metn high way and mostly he kicked Rafic HArriri out and that in itself is heroic act.
05 May 2012, 03:47
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lahoud unified the army and equipped it well comparing the budget that was available and the fact that our army is prohibited to be as equipped as any other army by american force and israel and syria he played under the table to make an army rank that could not be split into pieces like it did before the civil war and from that great effort you can see how the army resisted all attempts for splitting it and made civil war harder to happen during the past years. so im on no one's side but at least appreciate that our x president was our president whether u like it or not he shall be respected and u had to choose between death and presidency im sure everyone would choose presidency and in fact he knew how to manage the threats by playing from under the table regardless of his missunderstandings with hariri everyone has missunderstandings doesnt mean he had a hand in killing anyone hes a patriotic i dont think he would agree to kill his fellow lebanese.
05 May 2012, 03:48
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you guys should instead of criticising one another because u think you are right more than the other appreciate what the others are trying to do so that the others appreciate what you are trying to do after all we all serve for the same perpous which is a unified lebanon controling its territory securing its citizens with the army citizens and security forces. look at america instead of criticising your own people in america each citizen is allowed to have weapons and shoot at any person who enters his garden without permission and you criticise those who are shooting at strangers while entering our territory and dont forget im on no one's side but guys think before u write before you critisize and before you feed your anger and hate we should not hate each other but support each other dont run like sheep after your leaders after all we are in 2012 and each one of us should be his own leader not have his own leader...
