Presidential Elections Postponed to March 23 as Hariri Vows to Continue Dialogue with Hizbullah
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The presidential elections were postponed for the 36th time on Wednesday following a lack of quorum at parliament.
Speaker Nabih Berri scheduled March 23 as the date for a new session.
Wednesday's polls witnessed the participation of 72 lawmakers, including Mustaqbal Movement chief MP Saad Hariri.
After the postponement of the elections, Hariri declared: “We hope the remaining lawmakers will be present in the next session.”
Eighty-six MPs are needed for quorum to be met at parliament for the election of a president.
“I urge all lawmakers to prevent the prolongation of the vacuum, which is killing the whole of Lebanon,” Hariri added.
Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor due to ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps.
On Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh's absence from Wednesday's electoral session, Hariri said: “I understand his absence as Lebanon's democracy has its special characteristics.”
Franjieh has been endorsed by Hariri as president. He is running along with Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun and Progressive Socialist Party candidate MP Henri Helou.
Asked by reporters on his stance on the Gulf Cooperation Council's blacklisting of Hizbullah as a terrorist organization, Hariri replied: “The party is undertaking actions in the region that it should not be doing, which led to this designation.”
“Hizbullah has long been designated as terrorist in the Gulf and that has changed nothing in Lebanon,” he said in response to whether the Mustaqbal Movement will halt its dialogue with the party.
“We will hold talks with those we have differences with,” he stressed.
“We will continue the dialogue because we do not want strife in Lebanon,” he emphasized.
Furthermore, the MP stated that officials in Lebanon have taken the decision to avoid the spread of the Syrian crisis to Lebanon, noting that key to the success of this goal is the election of a president.
The GCC on Wednesday labeled Hizbullah a “terrorist organization,” a day after Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah accused Saudi Arabia of pressuring Lebanon to silence his party.
The GCC cited the party's "terrorist acts and incitement in Syria, Yemen and in Iraq," which were threatening Arab security.
02 March 2016, 09:35
46
It is an obligation for all MP's to go to Parliament. Those who don't go are the ones who are destroying the country. Full Stop.
02 March 2016, 10:05
44
but Lebanon is not Switzerland, Sweden or a European democracy....
*Courtesy of MP Franjieh
02 March 2016, 10:13
45
So...? Who should be our model??? Syria ??? Or may be Iran, Yemen, Iraq or Saudia???
02 March 2016, 09:37
45
Not only those MP's who do not show up are to blame, but they have to be denounced as traitors.
02 March 2016, 11:33
45
Those arrogant M8 Politicians are of the worst kind. Traitors to the nation. Traitors to the institutions. Traitors to the people...
This attitude has no other name. They have no excuse not to perform their duty. This is outrageous!
It is no more acceptable!
The 2 candidates are from their side for God sake!!!
02 March 2016, 12:28
33
They want complete surrender and humiliation of M14 before they announce their President ....... and they preach national unity (diarrhea of the mouth)
02 March 2016, 19:42
11
and Lebanon lived 15 years of civil war thanks to that lame retarded system.....
02 March 2016, 23:54
00
That is why throughout the Syrian hegemony of Lebanon early days of Hafez Assad, the president was really chosen by Syria before the vote (started with Sleiman Franjieh's election). Prior to that we had real elections with Camile Chamun, Fouad Shehab, and Charles Helou ...... then Hafez ended it all through his proxies in Lebanon (SSNP, PFLP, .... and othrs who are Lebanese by name only)
02 March 2016, 13:23
42
"but Lebanon is not Switzerland, Sweden or a European democracy,” the Marada chief went on to say, suggesting that the election of a president requires political consensus outside the parliament building".
My fellow countrymen, now you've heard it loud and clear what sort of democracy we have (NONE), so now you know who we're voting for to control our lives and our welfare and our beloved country, just remember that next time you're voting.
who gives these morons the right to control our lives and get paid for it too
02 March 2016, 14:17
24
Presidential Elections Postponed to March 23 as Hariri Vows to Continue Dialogue with Hizbollah
Hariri vows to continue dialogue with Hezbollah;)
02 March 2016, 15:22
23
One thing is that the Caporal will never be president. He is a born loser!
02 March 2016, 15:24
34
Finally, most of M14 have realized that Caporal is a servant to Ebola, that he has received millions from them, that he is their prisonner and will always be.
02 March 2016, 16:24
42
humble
let us just hope that he will kick the bucket by the time we finally elect a president
03 March 2016, 00:00
01
You can not claim to support a secular democratic state while at the same time supporting HA the anti-state. So bigjohn do some soul searching, you needd it
02 March 2016, 16:37
23
the truth is that the country cannot be a true democracy when you have 40% of Lebanon being an Iranian proxy and another 40% being a Saudi proxy
and to top it off corrupt leaders from all sides
02 March 2016, 16:38
24
by the way I stand opposed to M8 as well as M14 because both are worthless
02 March 2016, 17:13
13
On March 23, 2016 those Lebanese who live in the electoral districts of the of the 14 Deputies who refuse to go to Parliament ought to find them, and under force take them to Parliament, throw them in, lock the door and not let any one out until they have voted. Well they don't even have to vote, we just need a warm body in the chamber to count a quorum.
02 March 2016, 18:54
12
72 MPs is a very strong showing and if Berri didn't do his usual Machiavellian scheme and introduce the whole 2/3rd farce, we could have had a president today.
Still, March 14 called March 8's bluff out and ironically Berri / Jumblatt helped them do this. March 23rd will not be any different but the traitors to the nation have been called out.
Shame Franjieh didn't make a showing or send an honorary delegate of his to keep his options open. It would be difficult for him to ever make it as president if he doesn't make significant progress to move to the middle ground.
On dialog, it will be more difficult now that the GCC has called Hezbollah a terrorist group. I suspect it will be some weeks before a low key meeting takes place between Nader Hariri and Khalil(s).
02 March 2016, 19:43
32
"If LEBANON was a parliamentary democracy, you would have one person one vote"
and you wouldn't have an armed foreign militia taking the country hostage of their whims.....
02 March 2016, 21:43
02
Lebanon is weak because hezbollah keeps it weak! has hezbollah ever done something to improve the economy? NEVER... hezbollah drags Lebanon into wars it is all they do...
Lebanon has everything to make it a rich economy but it does not please neither hezbollah nor israel... both are happy to maintain Lebanon weak!
hezbollah to control it, and israel so they have no economic competition in the region!
hezbollah cannot allow Lebanon to be rich and developped! it would mean their disappearance... so both israel and hezboolah work hand in hand to make sure Lebanon runs into chaos.... with your full support . don't you see you are playing israel scheme while pretending to fight it? LOL
02 March 2016, 23:55
00
not as many as Iranian souls arming and training HA. Send HA to Iran, Salafis to KSA and then real Lebanese become the majority again.
03 March 2016, 00:06
00
“We will continue the dialogue because we do not want strife in Lebanon,” he emphasized......
And while u r continuing thee dialogue coward Sa33d, HA is continuing the take over of Lebanon
