Hariri Gets 67 Votes For PM On First Day Of Consultations
June 27th, 2009President Michel Sleiman started on Friday binding parliamentary consultations with lawmakers to nominate a candidate for the post of Prime Minister. Sleiman will pursue the deliberations on Saturday and is expected to designate Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri as Premier. The Future Movement, the Democratic Gathering, the Lebanese Forces, the Phalange party and other independent MPs of the March 14 coalition, in addition to Speaker Nabih Berri’s Liberation and Development bloc all voiced support for Hariri’s nomination on Friday.
Hariri, who earned 67 votes by the time President Sleiman concluded consultations on Friday, is expected to increase his supporters count to 83 when the rest of the 71 March 14 MPs meet with Sleiman on Saturday. However, opposition blocs Change and Reform and and the Loyalty to Resistance refrained from giving any names for the post of prime minister, while expressing willingness and openness to collaborate with Hariri, in case he was named.
Following his meeting with Sleiman, the newly re-elected speaker named Hariri for the post of premier. The Amal Movement leader who was re-elected for a fifth consecutive term as Parliament speaker on Thursday stressed that the opposition would only participate in a “cabinet formed based on national consensus.” “If not truly represented, the opposition won’t take part in any government,” Berri said.
As for Change and Reform bloc head Michel Aoun, he told reporters after meeting Sleiman in Baabda that his bloc refrained from designating any candidate. “We facilitated the formation of the upcoming cabinet by not setting a veto on any candidate,” Aoun said. The former army general added that his bloc would decide on whether to grant the Cabinet confidence or not “after its formation rather than before.”
Directly following Aoun’s speech, Hizbullah’s Loyalty to Resistance bloc head MP Mohammad Raad also announced that his party nominated no one for the post of premier. Nevertheless, Raad said that Hizbullah was willing to cooperate with Hariri and was open to future dialogue. Prior to the parliamentary consultations, Hariri discussed for four hours on Thursday night recent developments and pending issues with Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
Nasrallah and Hariri discussed the post-election phase, as well as steps toward the formation of the next cabinet. A statement issued by Hariri’s press office said the two leaders “mulled the different scenarios regarding the formation of the cabinet and stressed the importance of dialogue and cooperation among all Lebanese.” The statement added that Hariri and Nasrallah praised the “political parties’ efforts to reduce tensions and agreed to continue talks in the upcoming phase.”
Nasrallah had held talks last week with the head of the Democratic Gathering bloc MP Walid Jumblatt, after an almost four year feud. During Lebanon’s 18-month stalemate between 2006 and 2008, Nasrallah described Jumblatt as a “liar, a thief and a killer,” while Jumblatt had repeatedly described Hizbullah’s arsenal as “the weapons of deception.” On Friday, Jumblatt said that “following prolonged discussions,” his bloc decided to propose Hariri as prime minister.
On the other side of the political divide, Future Movement MP Samir al-Jisr announced after meeting Sleiman the bloc’s nomination of its leader for the post of prime minister. Jisr explained that Hariri’s openness to all parties will facilitate the formation of a government based on consensus. As for Christian parties within the March 14 coalition, both the Lebanese Forces (LF) and the Phalange Party blocs expressed support for Hariri.
LF MP Georges Adwan hoped for a prompt formation of the next cabinet without major obstacles in order to bring stability and peace of find to the Lebanese people. Likewise, Phalange bloc MP Sami Gemayel said his party believed Hariri’s principles “intersect with the March 14 coalition national stands.” Gemayel voiced support for Hariri’s moderate stances, adding that his party’s efforts “will help President Sleiman’s reformist path in the post parliamentary elections phase.”
Also on Friday, the “Zahle in the Heart” bloc headed by MP Nicholas Fattouch named Hariri for the post of Premier. Fattoush urged political parties to facilitate the Future Movement leader’s mission concerning the cabinet formation “in order to promote Lebanon’s security and prosperity.” Meanwhile, Independent Metn MP Michel Murr called on Sleiman to form a national-unity government without granting any camp the veto power. Earlier on Friday, caretaker Prime Minister MP Fouad Siniora as well as Deputy Speaker MP Farid Makari also nominated Hariri to head the next Cabinet.
Siniora urged all the Lebanese to facilitate the cabinet formation, “since many challenges await Lebanon’s political leaders.” In separate news on Friday, Hariri met with the ambassadors of the United States, the United Kingdom and Turkey at his residence in Qoreitem, where talks focused on the current political developments and bilateral ties. A statement by his press office added that Hariri tackled the implementation of United Nations Resolution 1701, which put an end to the summer 2006 war with UN Secretary General’s representative Michael Williams.