Hariri receives nominations for premiership from 54 MPs
Forty-three opposition lawmakers refrain from naming a candidate
Fifty-four MPs of the parliamentary majority nominated Future Movement leader Saad Hariri as premier Tuesday during binding parliamentary consultations with President Michel Sleiman while 43 opposition lawmakers refrained from naming a candidate. As the Future Movement, the Lebanese Forces (LF), the Phalange Party, the Democratic Gathering and “Zahle in the heart” blocs along with independent MP Michel Murr nominated Hariri as premier-designate, the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), the Liberation and Development and the Loyalty to Resistance blocs, not surprisingly, did not follow suit. Consultations with the remaining parliamentary blocs will resume Wednesday.
Hariri is set to be designated as premier for the second time Wednesday after he stepped down last Thursday, accusing the opposition of hampering his efforts to form a cabinet. The Future Movement leader is expected to secure 73 votes with the support of 71 MPs of the majority and two from the opposition’s Tashnag party.
Following Hariri’s re-designation, a heated debate is expected to arise gradually between opposition groups and the majority over the validity of the 15-10-5 cabinet make-up.
During deliberations with Sleiman at Baabda Palace, Liberation and Development bloc and Amal Movement MP Ali Hassan Khalil said his bloc did not nominate any candidate to head the cabinet because Hariri, prior to his designation, “did not commit to form a cabinet based on the 15-10-5 formula.”
The bloc, which is headed by Speaker Nabih Berri, had named Hariri in the first round of consultations in June.
In response to calls by the Development and Liberation bloc for Hariri to express his commitment to the 15-10-5 cabinet formula, the Future Movement leader said Monday “they want me to declare the cabinet’s structure from now [but] when I get appointed I will start negotiating, and [then] I would assess the level of cooperation by political parties.”
“Upon the request of the premier-designate, the bloc would cooperate openly and positively with him following his designation to form a cabinet but always based on the 15-10-5 structure,” Khalil said.
The 15-10-5 structure grants the majority 15 ministers, the opposition 10 and Sleiman five seats, guaranteeing the president the tipping vote. Both the majority and the opposition are respectively denied absolute majority or veto power.
Opposition forces as well Democratic Gathering bloc leader MP Walid Jumblatt have expressed their commitment to the agreed-upon 15-10-5 government formula following Hariri’s resignation.
March 14 officials have said that it was up to the new premier-designate to decide upon the continued validity of the 15-10-5 formula, stressing the need to resume deliberations on the cabinet issue from scratch.
Future Movement MP Ammar Houri reiterated on Tuesday that the 15-10-5 cabinet make-up was no longer valid, adding that Lebanon’s democratic regime allowed for the possibility of a majority cabinet to be formed in accordance with the president’s approval.
On Monday, Hariri stressed that he was one of the “biggest supporters” of the formation of a national unity government, adding that he has the right to adopt a “different” negotiations approach.
“I have kept my hand extended but [the opposition] has always rejected our open approach,” he said at an iftar in Qoreitem.
Houri added that the decision of Berri’s Development and Liberation bloc not to nominate Hariri for the post of prime minister had “liberated” the latter from constraints with regard to the cabinet’s formation, adding that the opposition aimed to further hamper the process.
Similarly, the Phalange Party slammed the opposition for tying the cabinet’s formation to a set of conditions, adding that the move conflicted with constitutional norms and conventions.
Following a meeting headed by Amin Gemayel, the party’s politburo issued a statement saying its bloc named Hariri in order to preserve Lebanon’s democratic regime and underline the outcome of the June 7 polls.
“We demand that obstacles facing the cabinet formation following Hariri’s first designation be eliminated and [that the process] move on from previously proposed structures to new ones,” it said, in reference to the 15-10-5 cabinet formula.
Over the past week, Some March 14 officials and several political analysts have hinted at the possibility of forming a technocrat government.
The Phalange politburo also emphasized the need to take into consideration the true representational size of the Phalange Party and other Christian groups of the March 14 coalition in the next government.
The party added that Hariri’s government proposal, which he submitted to Sleiman before he stepped down, “does not serve the majority’s interests.”
Meanwhile, LF MP Strida Geagea said her party nominated Hariri to underline the results of the elections, adding that the parliamentary majority leader had proved he held on to the principles of the March 14 Forces. Geagea also underlined the constitutional prerogatives of the premier-designate along with the president concerning their duty to form a cabinet.
Conversely, FPM leader MP Michel Aoun said his party has reservations over Hariri’s nomination, adding that the Future Movement and the FPM were “very different.”
“When we nominate a candidate, we grant him the authority to form a cabinet; thus we cannot award Hariri that authority, in accordance with the Constitution, if no understanding exists between us,” Aoun said.
Aoun also urged all parties to commit to dialogue, adding that groups which refused to negotiate the cabinet issue “walked the wrong path.”
Aoun tied his participation in the next government to the re-appointment of Caretaker Telecommunications Minister Jebran Bassil for a second term. The opposition so far has remained united in backing Aoun’s demands.
Hariri has reiterated on several occasions his alliance’s opposition to the nomination of candidates who lost in the elections and has insisted on the principle of rotating ministerial portfolios among political parties.
Bassil, who ran for one of two seats in his hometown of Batroun, lost to March 14 candidates.
Aoun and Bassil held prolonged talks with Sleiman over lunch in Baabda in a bid to eliminate complications regarding the cabinet issue.
Meanwhile, Hizbullah MP Mohammad Raad said his bloc refrained from nominating a candidate but expressed the party’s willingness to cooperate with the premier-designate in order to form a national-unity cabinet that guarantees real partnership.
Also, Hizbullah’s number two, Sheikh Naim Qassem, on Monday stressed his party’s commitment to a national-unity cabinet based on the 15-10-5 make-up as it preserves the country’s security and stability.
Qassem added that a partnership cabinet promoting accord among the Lebanese would “restrain the margin of foreign and regional intervention in the country.”
Separately, Frederick Hoff, the assistant of the US special envoy to the Middle East, held talks with the director general of the Lebanese Presidency Ambassador Naji Abi Assi at Baabda Palace to prepare for US envoy Georges Mitchell’s talks with Sleiman on Wednesday.
The meeting was attended by US Ambassador Michele Sison.
Hariri ‘not upset’ over lack of support
BEIRUT: Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri stressed on Tuesday that he would pursue his efforts to form a national-unity cabinet but would do so on the basis of the outcome of the June 7 polls and in accordance with constitutional norms.
“I am not upset with those who did not name me as premier-designate and I will not take a political stance; it is their constitutional right to refrain from nominating a candidate,” Hariri said.
During an iftar at his residence in Qoreitim, Hariri said he would negotiate the cabinet’s formation with all parties but based on an approach of his choice.
“I will negotiate based on my approach and in accordance with constitutional norms since this is my constitutional right similarly to the opposition’s right not to nominate me but to later cooperate with me,” Hariri said.
He added that he worked hard prior to his resignation to reach an agreement on a national-unity cabinet and would resume his efforts away from the media.
Tackling the need to preserve the country’s stability and meet the Lebanese people social and economic needs, Hariri urged political parties to resort to calm and wise political rhetoric.
“I want to be clear; there is a majority that won the elections in accordance with the Constitution and if the opposition won the elections, we would have respected the Constitution; so let matters be solved in a constitutional manner,” he said.