Aoun: President Should Not Bother Rejecting Orthodox Law because it Does Not Need Consensus

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun stated that an agreement over a new parliamentary electoral law, specifically the Orthodox Gathering draft law, is not linked to constitutional rules, reported al-Akhbar newspaper on Friday.

He told the newspaper: “President Michel Suleiman should not bother rejecting the law because it does not require consensus seeing as it is an electoral mechanism.”

“We will reject any other electoral draft law proposal,” he added.

“With all due respect to the president and all other powers, but the Orthodox Gathering law is the best proposal and accepting it is obligatory and not an act of appeasement,” Aoun stressed.

“Every single constitutional expert in the world cannot interpret the constitution according to his views,” continued the MP.

“A law that guarantees the election of 64 Christian MPs through Christian votes is the only legal and constitutional proposal,” he stated.

“The Orthodox Gathering is the only solution to the electoral problem in Lebanon,” he noted.

Suleiman, Prime Minister Najib Miqati, the Mustaqbal Movement, Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat, and various March 14 independent MPs voiced their rejection of the law, arguing that it fuels sectarian divisions.

The proposal calls for each sect to elect its own representative at parliament.

“Who says that the Orthodox Gathering will guarantee the March 8 camp's victory in the elections?” asked Aoun.

“Let them ask Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea who has repeatedly said that my popularity among the people has waned,” he said.

On the draft law proposals made by the LF and Phalange Party despite their approval of the Orthodox Gathering suggestion, the MP remarked: “I do not understand why they are making draft law proposals.”

“Do they want to retract their support for the Orthodox Gathering draft law at the last minute?” wondered the FPM leader.

“The Orthodox Gathering law does not cater to my interests or to that of a certain party, but it concerns the rights of Christians, the Phalange Party, LF, and independent figures,” he explained.

“I did not harm the rights of the Sunnis. Did I take any of their lawmakers through the Orthodox Gathering law? Why then do they want my seats and MPs?” he asked.

“The Sunnis' failure to head to parliament to approve a new law means that they are violating the constitution and national unity,” he told al-Akhbar.

“They are demanding what is not theirs and obstructing the rights of others,” he said.

“I have no reason to back down from the agreement over the Orthodox Gathering proposal. I do not however reject any law for no reason. I will approve any law that guarantees me 64 lawmakers,” he said.

Commenting on Geagea's claim that the FPM is waging a campaign against Sunnis in Lebanon, Aoun remarked: “Perhaps he is no longer so convinced of his alliances and seeks to end them.”

“No one is oppressing the Sunnis and these are empty and baseless accusations,” he declared.

“We never came to rule in order to oppress anyone, on the contrary, our rights are being oppressed,” he noted.

“How many martyrs do they want in Arsal in order to be convinced that the army is being attacked?” he asked in reference to the recent clash in the Bekaa town that led to the death of two officers.

The officers were killed in an ambush set up by gunmen as an army patrol was seeking to apprehend a wanted suspect.

The suspect was also killed in the attack that took place on February 1.

“Do they want us to remain silent over the incident and not defend the army?” wondered Aoun.

“We want the army to defend itself. The army was attacked and it is not awaiting any decision by the government in order to take action,” he continued.

The government is not composed of one political camp, “but we are an opposition force within it,” Aoun explained

“We are forced in remain in rule for the sake of stability,” he told the daily.

“Every camp in the government enjoys its own views and we criticize the army because we have experience in the military institution,” said the former army commander.

“The decision for the army to defend itself does not require any government order,” the MP noted.

Moreover, he noted that the March 14-led opposition “may exploit the security situation in Lebanon in order to postpone the elections” that are scheduled to be held in June.

Should the elections be postponed, Aoun voiced his rejection of the extension of the tenure of the parliament.

“I do not support the extension of the tenure of any authority or individual, including the president, army commander, and head of the Internal Security Forces,” he explained.

In addition, should the polls be postponed, then the parliament's term would end, but the government would remain, he said.

“The vacuum caused by the end of the parliament's tenure will be filled by the government,” he said.