Prolonged Vacuum as MPs Fail Again to Elect New President
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Lawmakers failed on Wednesday for the seventh time to elect a new president as differences between the rival parties seemed not to be abating.
Speaker Nabih Berri postponed the session to July 2 to fill the seat of the country's top Christian post at Baabda Palace.
Berri said in remarks published in local dailies on Wednesday that he had continuously warned against the non-election of a president, a reminiscent of 20 sessions held in 2007 and 2008 that ended in failure.
The failure to choose a successor to President Michel Suleiman, whose term expired on May 25, is the result of the boycott of the majority of March 8 alliance's MPs.
Free Patriotic Moment chief MP Michel Aoun, whose Change and Reform bloc is among those who caused lack of quorum in parliament, has said he would run for the presidency if there was consensus on him.
“I will announce my nomination when the political situation in parliament becomes clear and when (the current candidates) are dismissed,” Aoun said on Tuesday.
“It is totally rejected to choose the weakest Christian as president and I will not tolerate this,” he said about Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea without naming him.
“I'm the strongest and I'm the one who represents (the Christians). My popularity is on the rise,” he added.
Despite his claims, Aoun's rivals in the March 14 camp have refused to withdraw their support for Geagea, who was the first to announce his candidacy.
Several March 14 MPs snapped back at Aoun in remarks to reporters in parliament.
LF MP Elie Kairouz said the country's Christians need a man of “struggle” and a person who holds onto his stances, “not a man of contradiction in positions and choices.”
Causing a vacuum at Baabda Palace is similar to the political displacement of Christians, he added.
G.K.
H.K.
18 June 2014, 13:20
33
On the rise his popularity but does not show up with his popularity to the parlament to see how many votes he will get?
18 June 2014, 13:31
34
Ex-General Michel Aoun is directly responsible for this vacuum and failing to nominate a "consensus" candidate. You put up or shut up. Aoun does neither and keeps on blabbing like an imp and whining like a little girl about wanting to be prom queen without buying a nice dress and wearing the necessary makeup !
18 June 2014, 16:59
22
Real Aounists do not and cannot support Aoun. Aoun is no longer a Aounist, he hasn't been a Aounist since he came back to Lebanon !
18 June 2014, 14:49
03
popular vote for presidency is the only way to curb outside interferences and sterile political debates
god bless democracy
18 June 2014, 15:10
00
What does it tell you about the assassin when those he assassinated (even the Muslim among them) obtained more votes than he did? Actually, what does it tell you about the creeps who voted for the assassin? That they are low life scum bag creeps?
18 June 2014, 15:47
22
When you must protest that "I am the strongest Christian and my popularity is on the rise", it is because no one else will entertain such fiction. It is aib, aib for Aoun to say such things about himself. Shame!!
They protest how popular they are and then boycott the election so as not to put their boasts to the test. Such hypocracy.
As Hanoun (Guest) writes here, the only solution is a two step popular vote for a Maronite President where the whole country and expatriates vote. In stage I, anyone can run. From the contenders, the top 2 vote getters participate in Stage II. Votes are allocated in the 128 seat parliament by popular vote caste in the Caza represented in Parliament. Khalas. No more boycotting!
18 June 2014, 21:49
00
Suleiman Franjieh to NBN: No president can be elected in Lebanon without Bashar Assad's consent.
So Michel Aoun wants to be the second coming of Emile Lahoud..
or is this Suleiman Franjieh firing the mercy shot into the head of Aoun's presidential hopes.
