24/01/2011 Democratically and through institutions, the head of the caretaker government Saad Hariri is expected to face a serious defeat in the few coming hours…
Hariri, who claims to head the “parliamentary majority,” doesn’t seem to be heading towards securing the parliamentary majority he needs to remain at his post as Prime Minister.
In contrast, the opposition’s candidate former Prime Minister Najib Mikati seems heading towards achieving a victory, despite the fact he announced his candidacy for the post as a candidate of accord and moderation, and refused to consider it as a “challenge” for anyone.
BETWEEN HARIRI AND MIKATI…
Before the binding parliamentary consultations began at the Baabda Presidential Palace as scheduled, the battle between the two main candidates started since Sunday night.
The first surprise for the Hariri bloc was the identity of the opposition’s candidate, former Prime Minister Najib Mikati. Despite the latter presented himself as a candidate of accord and moderation, the Hariri bloc rejected his candidacy, with some Future movement lawmakers saying that they were cheated.
“I don’t view my candidacy as a challenge to anyone, rather it is a chance to restore contacts among these leaders out of my previous experience in the premiership and my middle ground that unites and does not divide,” Miqati said in a statement.
But Hariri stressed there is no "consensual candidate," in an indirect reference to Miqati. "There is a candidate named Saad Hariri, and another candidate for the March 8 forces, and the choice in this regard is clear and unambiguous," Hariri said in a statement.
ATMOSPHERE VERY, VERY GOOD
On Monday, the parliamentary consultations began at noon when Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri arrived at the Baabda Presidential Palace and met with President Michel Sleiman. Berri said, following the meeting, that the general situation was good, without elaborating.
Next, Sleiman received Hariri in a very short meeting after which he received the head of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc MP Michel Aoun, in his position as former Prime Minister.
MIKATI STRETCHES HAND TO EVERYONE
Mikati in turn met President Sleiman as part of binding parliamentary consultations to name a new prime minister. "Consensus is reached through performance," he told reporters after the meeting. "I will stretch out my hand to everyone if I was named prime minister," he said from Baabda Palace, addressing Hariri.
FOR A NATIONAL SAVING GOVERNMENT
Turning to the parliamentary blocs, President Sleiman first received the Development and Liberation bloc, headed by Speaker Nabih Berri. The bloc, which comprises 13 members, named Mikati for the post. MP Anwar Khalil, who spoke on behalf of the bloc, stressed the need for the formation of a national saving government.
HARIRI AND ONLY HARIRI!
The Future movement bloc then met Sleiman and named its head, Saad Hariri, for the post of PM. MP Fouad Saniora, who spoke on behalf of the bloc, said that the bloc nominated Hariri “as he’s the first in his environment, sect and people.” He claimed that no one can assume the stage’s responsibilities other than Hariri, with respect for all candidates.
MIKATI… OPPOSITION’S CANDIDATE
The Change and Reform bloc, including 18 lawmakers, then met with President Michel Sleiman and named Mikati for the post of PM, as the opposition’s candidate. MP Michel Aoun, who spoke to reporters following the meeting, assured the Lebanese that all rumors about security incidents were not true. “There won’t be sedition in Lebanon,” Aoun stressed. “Through this constitutional way, we’re moving from one approach to another,” he said.
RESISTANCE VOTES FOR… MIKATI
The afternoon rounds of consultations started with the Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc, headed by MP Mohamad Raad. According to him, the bloc named Najib Mikati to form the upcoming government.
DEMOCRATIC GATHERING VS NATIONAL STRUGGLE FRONT
MURR, TUEINI GO FOR… HARIRI
MPs Michel Murr and Nayla Tueini then arrived together at the Baabda Presidential Palace where they met with President Michel Sleiman and named the head of the caretaker government Saad Hariri to form the new government.
ZAHLE BLOC…
The Zahle bloc, including MPs Tony Abu Khater, Joseph Maalouf, Shant Janjanian, Oqab Saqr, and Elie Marouni, voted for Saad Hariri to head the premiership. Abou Khater, who spoke on behalf of the bloc, expressed the bloc’s keenness on political work within a democratic framework even if it was in a losing situation.
PHALANGE CALLS FOR RESPECTING JUSTICE!
The Phalange party’s bloc named in turn Hariri for the PM post. MP Sami Gemayel said, following the meeting with President Michel Sleiman, that his bloc remains committed with half the Parliament to find out who has killed late MPs Pierre Gemayel and Antoine Ghanem. Gemayel called for respecting justice, sovereignty, and allowing the army in assuming its authority.
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Future Movement Responds to Defeat… with Street Game!
24/01/2011 “We won’t resort to street action and this game has nothing to do with our patriotic ethics,” the head of the caretaker government Saad Hariri said a few days earlier. He stressed that he only resorts to the constitutional process. “We accept any outcome of the constitutional process regardless of street action,” he said.
However, when the opposition turned to be victorious, all the “principles” have changed and the “street game” was quickly adopted by Hariri’s movement.
From Archive |
Supporters of acting Prime Minister Saad Hariri, whose government collapsed earlier this month, gathered in the city's Al-Nour Square, assailing Najib Mikati and Hezbollah. The demonstrators vowed they would return in force on Tuesday at the urging of local Sunni Muslim clerics.
Angry residents blocked Corniche Mazraa |
Meanwhile, Mikati issued a statement in which he addressed the Tripoli people, noting that the gatherings and demonstrations taking place were strange and were not in harmony with the city’s culture and history. He urged Tripoli citizens to remain committed to calm, calling his supporters to exercise self-restraint.
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Angry Hariri refuses to join unity government ...
Officials said the billionaire telecom tycoon was Hezbollah's favoured candidate given his position as a centrist politician who has good relations with the country's feuding parties.
Mikati, a former premier, was elected to parliament in 2009 as an ally of Hariri. He is a major shareholder in South Africa's MTN Group and runs the French fashion line Faconnable.Mikati, 55, submitted his candidacy on Sunday saying he was coming forward in the hope of being a consensual candidate.
But (suddenly) Hariri's Future Movement said there was no such thing as a "consensual candidate." (although he harped on Michel Sleiman the "consensual President" enough to prevent Michel Aoun from becoming president).."
"... Mr. Gheriafi learned from reliable European Intelligence sources in Brussels that at least two well equipped Western military fleets were urgently ordered to move from the Arabian Gulf to positions close to both Syria and Lebanon in the Mediterranean Sea with strict instructions to fully monitor and watch the unfolding events in Lebanon, especially in case Hezbollah, backed by Syria and Iran, succeeds in taking over the new Lebanese government.
The same sources said that the Israeli air and navy forces have been on a high alert status since last Friday after Lebanon's Druze Leader, MP Walid Jumblat, decided to join Hezbollah and Syria with his parliamentary block, giving them the upper hand and a parliamentary majority that enables them to form a new pro-Syrian and -Iranian government, killing all chances for caretaker PM Saad Hariri to return as a PM...."
Jeffrey Feltman boys in Lebanon: Bin Laden boys too
The protests in the North (which will be crowned tomorrow with a Day of Protest) are led by the Bin Ladenite, MP, Khalid Dahir (who orchestrated the Halba massacre).
Those are ALSO part of the March 14 coalition but you would not know it from the Western coverage.
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