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.
MIKATI… HEZBOLLAH AND SYRIA’S CANDIATE?!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
The day’s star was the head of the Progressive Socialist Party MP Walid Jumblatt who arrived at the Baabda Presidential Palace accompanied by six members of the Democratic Gathering bloc: MPs Elie Aoun, Ghazi Aridi, Akram Chehayeb, Neeme Tohme, Wael Abou Faour and Alaeddin Terro.
He thanked in particular MPs Elie Aoun, Nehme Tohme and Alaeddin Terro who gave the battle a political aspect after some politicians sought to portray it as sectarian. He also saluted former Prime Minister Omar Karame.
The remaining members of the Democratic Gathering bloc, including Marwan Hamade, Antoine Saad, Fouad Saad, Henry Helo and Mohamad Hajjar voted 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.
LF BLAME PRESIDENT…Lebanese Forces bloc named, as expected, Hariri for the post of premiership. But MP George Odwan, who spoke on behalf of the bloc, said that the parliamentary consultations should have taken place last week as scheduled, claiming that the results would have been different, away from pressures and intimidation.
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.
COOPERATE WITH THE WINNER!
The Mountain’s Unity bloc, headed by MP Talal Erslan, also met President Michel Sleiman as part of the binding parliamentary consultations.
Erslan announced the bloc has named Mikati and called on all parties to responsibly deal with the challenge and cooperated with the winner.
WHAT CHANGED IN FIVE YEARS?*********************************************
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.
Hariri’s speech came at a time the head of the caretaker government was still convinced that his chances for returning to the Grand Serail were the highest.
However, when the opposition turned to be victorious, all the “principles” have changed and the “street game” was quickly adopted by Hariri’s movement.
In such sensitive circumstances, the March 14 bloc, and instead of calming down the people, launched a fierce campaign against the democratic process. In this context, former MP Mustafa Allouch called for a massive demonstration Tuesday to protest the nomination of Najib Mikati as prime minister instead of Saad Hariri.
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| From Archive |
According to Al-Manar reporter in Tripoli, more than 300 people from Minieh and Akkar gathered in the northern city of Tripoli to denounce what they called the impending appointment of candidate Najib Miqati as prime minister.
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.
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| Angry residents blocked Corniche Mazraa |
Al-Manar reporter said that the Future movement’s supporters called for new protests on Tuesday.
Angry residents blocked several roads in Beirut’s Cola, Sports City and Corniche Mazraa districts as well as in the North and Akkar with garbage containers and stones.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 ...
BEIRUT — Lebanon's acting Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Monday ruled out joining a government headed by a candidate named by the opposition,"...
The statement came as former premier Najib Mikati was tipped as the top candidate for premiership after he secured the backing of Iranian-backed Hezbollah, which brought down the government of its political rival Hariri earlier this month.
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).."
This is too funny.
"... 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 intelligence sources did not unveil the identity of the Western fleets, but confirmed that they comprise two nuclear (whoa...) aircraft carriers with 210 jet fighter planes on board, and more than 30 ships carrying about 5,800 marines armed with the latest technologies.
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...."
Posted by G, Z, or B at 9:23 AM Jeffrey Feltman boys in Lebanon: Bin Laden boys too
Nir Rosen in the section on Lebanon in his book Aftermath chides Western reporters in Lebanon for not venturing outside of Beirut (or it should be said outside a section of Beirut). You see that in the coverage of Lebanon in the last few days and in the next few days.
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.
The protests of Al-Biqa` are led by Shaykh Khalil Al-Mays who basically personally led the effort to recruit fighters for Zarqawi. He also is part and parcel of March 14. Tomorrow will get uglier and things are likely to get out of hand. Posted by As'ad at 11:01 AM
Men in black
When Hizbullah men dressed in black t-shirts took to the streets last week in a silent show of force, the entire media of March 14 protested against the "street hooliganism" of the other side. Today, the March 14 gangs took to the streets, shot at people, threw rocks, and set cars and garbage on fire. That is civilized forms of protest, of course.
Posted by As'ad at 11:08 AM
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
Uprooted Palestinian
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