Consensus Atmosphere Shaken by Number of Votes for Berri, Makari
Bickering between majority and opposition was clear Thursday after Speaker Nabih Berri didn”t get the votes he was expecting and Deputy Speaker Farid Makari received mainly majority votes.
Majority sources told An Nahar daily that the "drills" during Thursday”s parliament session do not give the impression that all opposition parties are committed to the "positive atmosphere" to help in the formation of a new government.
Although Berri was reelected Thursday, he didn”t get the expected 100 votes, an indication that many majority MPs didn”t cast ballots in his favor. In retaliation, only four opposition lawmakers, including Berri and his three independent allies, voted for March 14 coalition”s Makari as deputy speaker.
Berri, a member of the opposition alliance, got 90 votes while Makari got 70.
Opposition sources told An Nahar that more than half of al-Mustaqbal movement MPs didn”t abide by the agreement reached between Berri and Hariri. This led to a counter reaction by not giving enough votes to Makari.
As Safir daily quoted Berri as telling his visitors that he had helped in speeding up consultations for the premier”s post and was hoping that his understanding with MP Saad Hariri would not suffer a relapse as happened during Thursday”s session.
Opposition leadership sources have also expressed resentment at the way Mustaqbal bloc acted. They told As Safir that Hariri”s non abidance by his pledge will ignite a new "trust crisis" that would reflect negatively on future political life, in particular formation of the next cabinet.
However, al-Mustaqbal movement sources told the daily that most of MPs who directly belong to the Mustaqbal bloc voted in favor of Berri with some exceptions.
The sources stressed that not getting the 100 votes doesn”t mean that the bloc violated its commitments. They said opposition reprisal by not voting for Makari was useless and harsh.
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat told As Safir that he wasn”t surprised by the number of votes Berri received because some March 14 members insisted on not voting for him.
But Jumblat stressed that what happed on Thursday is now from the past, saying "we are now facing a new stage. I hope there would be harmony between President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri and Saad Hariri who will be nominated (premier) at the end of consultations."