Noticias

The Cabinet must be allowed to handle the country’s affairs in the case of a presidential vacuum, MP Michel Musa, of Speaker Nabih Berri's Development and Liberation bloc, said.

“The Cabinet would handle the country’s affairs in the coming stage, and no one should obstruct the work of the government especially as we have important and urgent files to address,” Musa told the Voice of Lebanon radio station.

The Amal MP said the country was likely to fall into a vacuum but added that efforts should focus on electing a new president as soon as possible.

Lack of a breakthrough in Lebanon’s presidential election was a foregone conclusion ahead of a parliamentary vote scheduled for Thursday with a majority of March 8 lawmakers pledging to boycott the session again.

The lack of quorum will bring Lebanon ever closer to presidential vacuum as President Michel Sleiman’s term ends Sunday.

Parliament will meet Wednesday to discuss President Michel Sleiman’s appeal to lawmakers to elect a new president amid growing fears that MPs will again fail to choose a successor in time and avert the presidential vacuum hanging over Lebanon.

Sleiman, whose six-year mandate expires on May 25, last week sent a letter to Parliament urging lawmakers to elect a new president to avoid the risks that would ensue if a successor is not elected this week.

The letter stresses the importance of holding the presidential election on schedule.

A gathering of Maronite organizations Wednesday warned lawmakers against disrupting the vote and failing to elect a new president on time, saying such moves only jeopardized the top Christian seat.

The remarks came after a number of Maronite organizations held a meeting in Bkirki chaired by Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai, who briefed the attendees on developments and his discussions with political leaders about the coming presidential election.

On May 15, the fourth parliamentary session was held to elect the president of Lebanon. For the fourth consecutive time, the session was postponed due to the lack of a quorum. A new session was scheduled for May 22, and this could be the last or next-to-last session before the constitutionally specified deadline for electing a president ends at midnight on May 24.

Unless there is a sudden and major development in internal or external political positions before May 25, Lebanon will have a presidential vacancy for the third time in its modern history. Repeated attempts to hold a parliamentary session to elect a new president have failed.

Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awad Asiri Friday said the presidential election in Lebanon was the responsibility of the country’s Christians and reiterated that Riyadh backed Lebanese accord.

“This election is the responsibility of the Christians in the first degree, and their large responsibility towards their country,” Asiri said, speaking to reporters following talks with Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai in Bkirki.

Some Lebanese lawmakers are staying away from parliament on days scheduled to elect a president as the actual President Michel Sleiman’s six-year term in office is set to expire on May 25. The ongoing absenteeism has forced Speaker Nabih Berrito of the parliament to postpone the elections for the third time in a row. The parliament needs two-thirds of its 128 members to reach a quorum. Lebanon exercises a power-sharing formula to promote religious cohesion but there are fears that the stalemate could get out of hands.