Noticias

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.

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.

Lawmakers from Michel Aoun’s Change and Reform parliamentary bloc will not attend Thursday’s Parliament session to elect a president in the absence of an agreement over a conscenus candidate.

“If circumstances remain the same by Thursday, then MPs from our bloc will not show up [at the election session],” said former Minister Salim Jreissati after attending the weekly meeting of Aoun’s bloc at the latters Rabieh residence, north of Beirut.

Speaker of the People's Assembly Mohammad Jihad al-Laham called upon the Syrian people from all political and social stripes to take part in the presidential vote scheduled for June 3.

"Syria is in need of every vote of every honest Syrian in the ballot boxes as well as on the field, at factories, schools, universities and in all domains of life," said Laham during a parliament's session on Sunday.

El presidente del Parlamento de Líbano, Nabih Berri, ha convocado para el 15 de mayo la siguiente sesión en la que se debatirá sobre la nominación del nuevo presidente del país, tras una nueva jornada sin avances en medio de las disputas entre el Movimiento 14 de Marzo y el Movimiento 8 de Marzo.

   Los parlamentarios de este último bloque han resaltado tras la sesión que las elecciones sólo se celebrarán "si son serias", en una nueva muestra del rechazo frontal al candidato presentado por el Movimiento 14 de Marzo, Samir Geagea, líder de las Fuerzas Libanesas.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam warned against a “presidential vacuum” in Lebanon after lawmakers on Wednesday failed for the third time to elect a successor to President Michel Suleiman, whose term in office ends on May 25.

The Maronite bishops Wednesday criticized statements made by some lawmakers on a presidential void, stressing the need for the election to be held on time.

“We are worried by statements made by some MPs about a void,” the bishops said in a statement after their monthly meeting.

“It is as if they [lawmakers] are declaring themselves disabled,” the statement added.

“MPs need to elect a president according to the Constitution and ensure that their duties and responsibilities are performed,” they said from Bkirki, seat of the Maronite Church.