March 14 MPs Gather at Parliament against Vacuum: Lawmakers' Main Task Remains Electing New President

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

More than 40 MPs of the March 14 alliance gathered at the parliament on Saturday evening to protest the presidential vacuum, hours after President Michel Suleiman left the Baabda Palace without a successor to take office in the coming 6 years.

MTV revealed that 48 lawmakers gathered in the presence of Speaker Nabih Berri, who announced his readiness to hold an electoral parliamentary session if quorum was met.

However, the required number of MPs to hold an electoral session was not secured.

"We call on MPs to commit to their representative role by showing up at the parliament,” a statement read by Lebanese Forces MP George Adwan said.

“The parliament's main task remains electing a new president,” it stressed.

The statement elaborated on the coalition's stance: “Since the beginning, the March 14 forces have dealt with the presidential elections as a main turning point, in order to accentuate that the Republic is established on the bases of the National Pact, the Constitution and parliamentary democracy.”

“But the other camp wanted this juncture to be an occasion to overthrow the parliament and democracy. It annulled the role of the parliament whose members represent the nation,” it continued.

“What they have done consecrated vacuum by preventing quorum from meeting, and this is what drove President Suleiman to say their practices are against their representative role.”

The March 14 alliance's lawmakers also vowed to remain committed to safeguarding the Taef Accord, equal power sharing, and to implementing all articles of the Baabda Declaration.

“We will not become submissive to any pressure and blackmailing, and we will prevent any opportunity which could threaten security, the economy and the Constitution,” Adwan assured.

Speaker Berri met with several March 14 MPs upon their arrival at the parliament, including al-Mustaqbal bloc head Fouad Saniora, Telecommunications Minister Boutros Harb, Adwan, the Kataeb Party's Sami Gemayel and Samer Saade, al-Mustaqbal's Ghazi Youssef and Jamal al-Jarrah, and MP Marwan Hamadeh, the state-run National News Agency reported.

"Being present here today is a political duty,” stated Harb, urging his fellow lawmakers to “practice their responsibilities and national task."

"We want to avoid presidential vacuum and the country needs a president. There are democratic rules and constitutional work should not be obstructed," Harb added.

Meanwhile, al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Mohammed Qabbani told al-Jadeed television: “Our symbolic presence at the parliament today is to stress our right of electing a new president and to say that it is not us who consecrated vacuum."

Qabbani also called for consensus between Christian blocs over the presidential deadlock.

An Nahar newspaper reported earlier on Saturday that the March 14 lawmakers will rally at the parliament to express their determination to carry out the presidential poll within the constitutional deadline.

The daily reported that Gemayel proposed on the coalition's lawmakers to hold a rally at the parliament from 6:00 pm until midnight.

The camp also sought to convince the Democratic Gathering bloc, which is loyal to Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat, to participate in their endeavor.

“This symbolic move aims to express our sadness over the failure to elect a new president to begin his term on Sunday,” a prominent March 14 figure told the newspaper.

Meanwhile, al-Liwaa daily said that the March 14 alliance will stage daily rallies for the same purpose near the parliament.

The parliament failed anew on Thursday to elect a president in a fifth session of its kind, raising fears that the vacuum in the country's top Christian post would affect Lebanon's power-sharing agreement under which the president should be a Maronite, the premier a Sunni and the speaker a Shiite.

S.D.B./H.K.

D.A.

Comments 14
Thumb general_puppet 24 May 2014, 10:20

Hello Wolfy... how about the Iranian militia, what should the LAF do with them?

Missing castro 24 May 2014, 17:28

Wow!

Thumb cedre 24 May 2014, 18:06

degage si t'es pas content, va chez tes semblables ie safir,almanar, mayadeen, etc...

Thumb cedre 24 May 2014, 23:36

la pouf, c'est celle qui se plaint sans cesse, et revient ici comme une chienne a chaque fois qu'elle se fait bannir...malpropre...

Thumb cedre 24 May 2014, 18:07

The road to Baabda pass through Tehran...

Thumb cedre 24 May 2014, 23:38

is riadh blocking the elections ? who's hiding and scared to name its candidate ?

Missing coolmec 24 May 2014, 22:57

who is nadim koteish??

Missing politik_buro 24 May 2014, 23:54

The insults have just reached a magnificent level, and we are still accusing one another with foreign interference, you will never get anywhere with dialogue until you both realize that this accusation is meaningless since the fact of the matter is that it applies to both sides. There's a Sunni-Shiaa weight throwing between Saudi and Iran happening in Lebanon, and it doesn't matter if you like it or not

Missing politik_buro 24 May 2014, 23:56

What you have to decide is whether you are ready to let one of the sides win or start thinking about new people to follow, or even better, start talking from where you can get somewhere.

Missing VINCENT 25 May 2014, 00:35

It appears that Aoun doesn't have the thick skin and the cunning necessary to become an effective politician and role with the punches. His stance on Lebanon's future stands shakily on his emotions and those who dangle a carrot in front of him to appease and comfort his ailing mind. Having said that, the weakness of the Christians comes from their superficial belief that they unconditionally deserve to stay on top of the summit united or otherwise.

Missing politik_buro 25 May 2014, 00:41

I meant until the day they are an absolute power...

Missing VINCENT 25 May 2014, 03:32

politik_buro:

It looks like you read between the lines and most likely focused on the message behind my comment. "United or otherwise". So, if we focus on being united..., then?

Missing politik_buro 25 May 2014, 00:45

FT I heard a lot about you, first time I get a chance to see your posts. You have earned my respect in half your reply and threw it in the wind with the other half:) Leish ya khayye 7attaytna kellna bel mjerir? You come across as a proud Lebanese man don't let someone foreign force an impulsive insult from you to all your Lebanese fellows.

Thumb ado.australia 25 May 2014, 07:22

Why not just organize a referendum to directly elect a Presidant? Save us from politicians and foriegn governments bargaining in back door rooms.