News

Feltman Urges Syria Not to Impede Lebanese Presidential Elections

Jun 24 2014
Lebanon
Source: 
Naharnet.com

U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman urged the Syrian regime to facilitate the Lebanese presidential elections, An Nahar newspaper reported on Tuesday.

According to the daily, Feltman called on Damascus during a meeting with the Syrian president's media adviser Bouthaina Shaaban not to obstruct the presidential poll.

Shaaban has visited Norway in the first trip to Europe by a senior official in three years, her office said Sunday.

Sisi swears in new Egyptian government

Jun 17 2014
Lebanon
Source: 
The Daily Star Lebanon

Egypt's new Cabinet was sworn in Tuesday by the country's newly elected President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.

The swearing-in ceremony took place in the capital, and state television aired live footage from the swearing-in inside the presidential palace.

The government of about 30 ministers - including four women and several technocrats - is led by Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehlib, who also served as the interim premier for the past five months.

Kataeb calls for immediate presidential election

Jun 16 2014
Lebanon
Source: 
The Daily Star Lebanon

The Kataeb Party Monday called for the immediate election of a president and urged teachers to start grading official exams, following a union announcement that they would boycott grading until the new salary scale is passed.

In a statement after the weekly meeting of its political bureau, the party said that "in light of the dangerous events in Iraq, and the spread of fundamentalist movements in the Arab world," electing a president was necessary so that Lebanon's democratic political institutions would function normally.

Berri slams critics over presidential election

Jun 14 2014
Lebanon
Source: 
The Daily Star Lebanon

Speaker Nabih Berri Saturday slammed his critics highlighting that he was exerting every effort possible to reach a compromise over the necessity of holding the presidential election without further delay.

Berri’s remarks came as political contacts are expected to intensify next week in a bid to break the impasse over the presidential election.  

Rai says failure to elect president a grave issue

Jun 06 2014
Lebanon
Source: 
The Daily Star Lebanon

Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai said Friday that the lawmakers’ failure to elect a new president was a grave issue that targeted the people and their interests.

“I told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that holding the presidential election is not a matter of luxury or a daily political affair that can be taken lightly,” Rai said while visiting the offices of the Maronite Pension Fund.

New candidate to enter race for the presidency

Jun 05 2014
Lebanon
Source: 
The Daily Star Lebanon

In light of the impasse in Lebanon’s domestic political scene, namely over the presidential election, political sources closely monitoring developments said that new name would be added to the list of candidates.

This hopeful, they said, would break the sharp polarization due to his centrist stance, enabling him to be a consensus candidate.

Berri, Aoun hold rare talks, speaker slams boycott

Jun 05 2014
Lebanon
Source: 
The Daily Star Lebanon

Presidential hopeful and Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun said after talks with Speaker Nabih Berri Wednesday that his bloc was still mulling whether to attend a legislative session in Parliament next week.

Aoun’s move came as Berri chastised and threatened to take unspecified measures against MPs who boycott Parliament, amid growing fears that the vacuum in the presidency would spread to Parliament and the rest of the government.

Parliamentary polls should be held even if under old election law

Jun 01 2014
Lebanon
Source: 
The Daily Star Lebanon

Change and Reform bloc MP Alain Aoun said that the parliamentary polls scheduled for later this year should be held even if based on the old election law.

“The priority is, of course, for holding a presidential election, but if the [presidential election] is obstructed, we must hold the parliamentary polls,” Aoun said in an interview to Al-Liwaa daily to be published Monday.

Lebanon: Aoun making presidential inroads

May 31 2014
Lebanon
Source: 
Asharq al-Awsat

Free Patriotic Movement leader and prospective March 8 Alliance presidential candidate Michel Aoun will push ahead with his presidential bid, local Maronite sources informed Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday.

Seeking to secure a breakthrough to end Lebanon’s paralyzing political stalemate over electing a new president, a delegation from the Maronite League and the Maronite Foundation met with Aoun on Thursday.

“It’s Aoun or nobody,” a delegation member, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the condition of anonymity, quoted Aoun as saying.

UN calls for Lebanese election as soon as possible

May 30 2014
Lebanon
Source: 
Your Middle East

The UN Security Council expressed "disappointment and concern" Thursday that an election of a new Lebanese president has not occurred and demanded that polls be held without delay.

In a unanimous declaration, the Council's 15 member states urged the country's parliament "to uphold Lebanon's long standing democratic tradition and to work to ensure that presidential elections take place as soon as possible and without external interference."

Iran says Syria vote will boost Assad legitimacy

May 30 2014
Lebanon
Source: 
The Daily Star Lebanon

Iran said Friday that next week's presidential election in Syria, branded a farce by Western governments, will boost the legitimacy of its ally Bashar al-Assad.

"God willing, the elections in Syria will be carried out without a hitch," said Ali Akbar Velayati, the senior foreign policy adviser to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

International Support Group for Lebanon calls for presidential election without delay

May 26 2014
Lebanon
Source: 
The Daily Star Lebanon

The International Support Group for Lebanon (ISGL) called on Lebanon’s leaders to work intensively to ensure the election of a new president without delay, while highlighting the need for the current government to remain functional.

In a statement issued Monday on behalf of the ISGL following deliberations, U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly said that the gathering regretted the failure of the Lebanese Parliament to elect a president within the timeframe set by the constitution.

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