FPM: Miqati Exceeding His Jurisdiction, Infringing on Others' Powers
The Free Patriotic Movement on Tuesday slammed “what Premier Najib Miqati has been saying about an infringement of the premiership’s powers,” stressing that the prime minister has been “acting in excess of his jurisdiction and in fact infringing on the powers of others.”
“Every now and then, Prime Minister Najib Miqati voices stances in the media that carry a lot of fallacies and overbidding, through which he attacks who he claims are parties ‘infringing on the powers’ of the premiership, which represents an infringement of the Sunni sect’s rights -- as he claims,” the FPM’s press office said in a statement.
The press office incorporated Article 64 of the Constitution -- which defines the powers of the prime minister -- in its statement in order to “inform the public opinion and ask the PM some questions.”
Article 64 says: “The Prime Minister is the Head of Government and its representative. He speaks in its name and shall be considered responsible for executing the general policy that is set by the Council of Ministers. He shall exercise the following powers:
1. He shall head the Council of Ministers and shall be ex officio Deputy Head of the Supreme Defense Council.
2. He shall conduct the parliamentary consultations for forming the government. He shall sign, with the President of the Republic, the Decree of its formation. The government must present its general statement of policy to the Chamber to gain its confidence within thirty days of the date of issuance of the Decree in which the government was formed. The government shall not exercise its powers before it gains confidence nor after it has resigned or is considered resigned, except in the narrow sense of a care-taker government.
3. He shall present the Government's general policy before the Chamber of Deputies.
4. He shall sign, with the President of the Republic, all decrees, except the Decree which designates him the Prime Minister, and the Decree accepting the government's resignation or considering it as having resigned.
5. He shall sign the Decree calling for an extraordinary parliamentary session, and decrees issuing laws, and decrees requesting the reconsideration of laws.
6. He shall call the Council of Ministers into session and sets its agenda, and he shall inform the President beforehand of the subjects included on the agenda and of the urgent subjects that will be discussed.
7. He shall follow up the activities of administrations and public institutions, and shall coordinate among the Ministers and give general guidance to ensure the proper progress of affairs.
8. He shall hold working meetings with the concerned authorities in the Government in the presence of the concerned Minister.”
The FPM asked Miqati “to tell us which clause of these clauses is being infringed and to identify the infringer of the rights of the dear Sunni sect.”
“We also ask him -- according to clauses 7 and 8 of the aforementioned article: Who is acting in excess of his jurisdiction and in fact infringing on the powers of others?” FPM’s press office added.
Source: Naharnet
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