Salam Says Presidential Vote 'Not Impossible' but Warns of Vacuum's Effects
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Prime Minister Tammam Salam has stressed that the agreement reached among the rival parties ahead of the formation of his cabinet earlier this year is a sign that a deal on the presidential crisis is possible.
In remarks to several local dailies published on Thursday, Salam said the deal struck between the March 8 and 14 alliances, which led to the formation of the government, “confirms that an understanding on the presidential elections is not impossible.”
The PM said it was not yet too late to elect a new head of state by May 25, after the rival parliamentary blocs again failed for the third week in a row to vote in the polls due to the boycott of the March 8 camp.
A new round of elections is set for next Thursday.
Salam said that the lawmakers should have good intentions. He also urged them to reach a deal on a personality who receives the backing of the majority of MPs.
He stressed that non-agreement on a certain candidate does not mean the elections would not be held.
“Let the person who receives the majority's backing win,” Salam told the newspapers.
He denied claims that a consensual president would be weak. “Is a president who backs a certain side against the other better?” he asked.
“That's not what Lebanon needs at these difficult circumstances,” Salam stated.
Despite his optimism on the ability of MPs to elect a new head of state before the expiry of President Michel Suleiman's six-year term on May 25, Salam expressed fears that non-agreement would have negative repercussions on the rest of the state institutions.
“I don't know in such a case for how long the agreement (among cabinet ministers) would stand,” he said.
“I sense the seriousness of the situation,” Salam told the dailies about the possibility that his government would take over the authorities of the president in case of a vacuum at Baabda Palace.
G.K.
D.A.
08 May 2014, 08:30
26
oro, change your name to Flamers.posterior... no-one will accuse you of being a fake then.
08 May 2014, 08:42
13
A Lebanese Presidential Vote is 'Not possible' when Iran's Southern Guard & a Cowardly Turncoat sabotage the proceedings.... Make a Run for it Aoun, right back to Paris.
08 May 2014, 08:59
12
ibnbatrak
This is called a government of national unity whereby both M8 and M14 join to steal together
08 May 2014, 09:03
12
general puppet
Unfortunately Paris would not take him. he should try Iran they love him
08 May 2014, 12:00
50
(1). The wrangling by both M14 and M8 over the next president is yielding but another deadly concoction for the Lebanese, all the Lebanese. First, M14 by clinging to Geagea know that this man is already half crippled by his past even before entering Baabda. Then we come to M8 and their preferred candidate Aoun, (even if so far it hasn't declared anything yet), still, Aoun is as crippled a candidate by his past as his arch-foe Geagea. So in truth what do these two men have to offer for a country and a people now truly desperate for real solutions? The time is now drawing near when both sides plus those that are not affiliated to either side, to understand and finally accept that the deadlock that has come about as a result of these two candidates cannot be allowed to go any further
08 May 2014, 12:02
00
stainless stea;
Come on dude this is not an important issue for M8 and M14 to insult each other. Only political topics inflame the forum
08 May 2014, 13:19
00
oro fistula
You changed your name!! I have a suggestion I think you should change your picture!! It will help a lot
08 May 2014, 15:17
10
(2). Maybe in the beginning, both sides failed to recognize the futility of this attempt, but that that the avenues and remaining corridors of opportunity are reaching a dead end, maybe everyone would need to return back to the drawing board and hopefully common sense, that finally the only solution and options now available, are the ones that will distance themselves from the candidates of a bygone era into contemporary candidates a lot better suited to our current times. here again one would need to remind that great people like Demyonos Kattar, or Ziad Baroud or Boutros Harb can no longer be ignored or kept aside, now more than ever, their role has risen to prominence, and for very good reasons too. Hopefully very soon would all protagonists come to realize that times have changed, since now they've tried all the old fixtures which no longer seem to work anyway.
