Presidential Elections Postponed to Saturday, Dec. 22
Presidential election was postponed for a ninth time Monday to December 22, despite last-minute international efforts to convince rival parties to strike a deal, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri announced.
“The parliament session that was scheduled today has been postponed to Saturday, December 22,” Berri”s spokesman Mohammed Ballout said.
The delay, the ninth since September, came amid intense efforts by the United States, France and other countries to convince the ruling March 14 majority and the Hizbullah-led opposition to proceed to a vote and avoid further destabilizing the country.
MP Antoine Zahra to reporters after the postponment called on the government to submit a draft amendment to the Lebanese parliament in order to amend Article 49 and elect General Sleiman as presdient.
Lebanon has been without a president since November 23, when Emile Lahoud stepped down at the end of his term with no elected successor.
MPs gathered in parliament Monday amid uncertainty over the presidential elections due to the ongoing power struggle between the feuding political parties.
Legislators from the ruling March 14 alliance and the Hizbullah-led opposition arrived at the heavily fortified parliament building in central Beirut for the 12:00 pm session, but gave conflicting statements on whether they would proceed to a vote.
March 14 MPs said they had struck an overnight deal with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a leading member of the opposition, on electing Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman as president without amending the constitution.
“We will try to reach a solution today,” Telecommunication Minister Marwan Hamade said. “A number of legal experts have come up with a formula which could lead to the election of army commander General Michel Suleiman.”
March 14 MP Antoine Zahra said the key to resolving the crisis was in the hands of the opposition.
A close aide to Christian opposition leader Gen. Michel Aoun doubted a vote would take place.
“Nothing has changed and there is no deal,” Simon Abi Ramia told AFP.
Newspapers were divided on the likelihood of a vote.
An-Nahar daily, close to the majority, said: “The white smoke rose overnight and the ninth session will be decisive. The army commander (is) to become president without a constitutional amendment.”
It said that hasty developments over the past few hours raised hopes for an end to the political crisis by electing Gen. Michel Suleiman on Monday without having to amend the constitution.
An Nahar quoted a high-ranking March 14 source as saying that a new formula has been in the works since the late evening hours which calls for convening a parliamentary session on Monday to give explanation so that the constitutional case for term limits related to the presidency is considered null due to the presidential vacuum and therefore there is no need for a constitutional amendment.
The independent daily Al-Anwar predicted a surprise at Monday”s session while the opposition Al-Akhbar said no vote would take place.
The election is seen as a crucial step toward ending a long-running crisis that has paralyzed Lebanon and left the presidency vacant since November 23, when incumbent Emile Lahoud stepped down with no elected successor.
Although rival parties have agreed in principle to elect Suleiman, they have been bickering on how to amend the constitution to allow a senior public servant to become president.
They also disagree on the make-up of the new government and on who would be appointed to top security posts.
The Voice of Lebanon radio station on Monday said there was a “serious attempt” to apply Articles 75 and 76 of the constitution which allow the election to proceed without having to amend the constitution and without having to engage into dialogue with Gen. Michel Aoun over a “political basket.”
However, the possibility of achieving presidential election on Monday remains in limbo, awaiting response from
the Hizbullah-led opposition.