Hariri: We Won't Take Part in Parliamentary Vote in Absence of President
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Former premier Saad Hariri announced Wednesday that al-Mustaqbal bloc will not take part in parliamentary polls before the election of a new president, denying the presence of any “deal” to extend the current parliament's mandate.
“A lot will be said about an alleged deal to extend the parliament's term, but there is no deal,” Hariri said on his official Twitter account.
“We simply won't take part in parliamentary polls before a president is elected,” Hariri stressed.
On Tuesday, Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Michel Aoun expressed his belief that a political “deal” to extend the parliament's mandate had been already made.
The deadline to file nominations ended at midnight Tuesday after 514 candidates submitted their applications to the interior ministry.
Several political forces have however hinted that a second extension of the parliament's term is looming on the horizon while the government has failed so far to form the committee that is supposed to oversee the elections.
“Let them act to end the presidential vacuum and we will be ready to take part in any other juncture,” Hariri added.
“Otherwise it would be a bet on the unknown and maybe falling into total vacuum,” he went on to say.
Earlier on Wednesday, al-Mustaqbal bloc announced that it has submitted its nominations for the upcoming legislative polls despite its insistence on electing a new president first to avoid constitutional gaps.
“The priority is for electing a president before any other juncture,” the bloc said in a statement issued after its weekly meeting.
“Holding parliamentary polls amid this (presidential) void will be marred by two main flaws: the absence of a constitutional authority (president) capable of staging binding parliamentary consultations” to form a new government, and “the increase in security concerns … which might lead to postponing the elections,” Mustaqbal warned.
It pointed out that it submitted its nominations on Tuesday “on the basis that the election of a president is a precondition for holding the parliamentary vote, and on the hope that this election will take place before the legislative polls.”
In this regard, the bloc reminded of “the initiative that was launched by the March 14 forces on September 2, which aims to salvage the republic, preserve the Constitution and elect a new president.”
It noted that it will maintain its contacts “with all parties without exception to secure the success of the initiative.”
And as it underlined that “countering terrorism is an ethical and national responsibility,” the bloc reiterated its call for all Lebanese parties to “adhere to the dissociation policy, abide by the Baabda Declaration and avoid implicating Lebanon in foreign dilemmas.”
Mustaqbal also renewed its call for Hizbullah to “withdraw from the ongoing conflict in Syria.”
Addressing recent calls for creating armed vigilante groups to counter the threat posed by the Islamic State jihadists, the bloc rejected any type of self-security, calling again for “expanding the mandate of the UNIFIL (U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon) forces and deploying them on the eastern and northern borders in order to protect Lebanon.”
Y.R.
17 September 2014, 22:00
1616
he wont take part in parliamentary vote and he wont allow a president to be elected. or how to paralyze the country.
17 September 2014, 22:06
1817
momo- Last time I checked, it was the two biggest low lives in the history of time that chose to boycott the elections. Do you mind elaborating as to how Saad Harriri "wont allow a president to be elected"?
17 September 2014, 22:11
1912
He won't elaborate. He is paid to distort and make up things as he goes along.
17 September 2014, 22:21
1814
mowaten is not only re-writing history but he is re-writing the present. That is the epidemy of propaganda.
18 September 2014, 10:31
512
@LEBhasNOhope: geagea is clearly a divisive figure which is unacceptable for a huge chunk of the lebanese population (without getting into the % game, where some would say more than 50% and others would say less without anyone being able to get conclusive stats).
in any case, by insisting on him and not withdrawing him from the election, he is forcing the other side to block the process.
as a reminder, there is no m8's candidate (aound said he would only be a candidate if there was a consensus on him) and m8 is open to a unifying figure and to talks about it. yet, when hariri came to lebanon he did not even bother to try talking to m8 key figures in order to reach an agreement. purely and simply setting unacceptable conditions and sitting on it while the country is frozen in paralysis.
18 September 2014, 10:32
512
a new parliament is at this stage the only way to unlock the situation, since the present one is unable to function, let the people chose their representatives anew and let those new representatives elect a president. why refuse that? why prevent the people from expressing itself?
it has no other explanation than wanting to prolong the paralysis.
18 September 2014, 11:23
31
i was thinking exactly the same thing mowaten. You took the words out of my mouth. It seems we all think the same. We in fact could be the same person.
18 September 2014, 15:07
11
Mowaten- if a figure is decisive then don't vote for him. Otherwise it is no longer a democratic process and now you are imposing your will on us. Nobody is imposing their will on you? Is anyone telling who your candidate should or should not be? However, all you want to do is justify your actions that paralyze the country and blame it on your opponents.
18 September 2014, 16:54
11
LEBhasNOhope: root causes of this problem are in the way the constitution is designed. it has many flaws that allows this kind of blocking and sometimes forces you to it. if we want a real change then we should draft an entirely new Constitution from scratch, base it on merit, efficiency and give a real power to popular choice. as it is today, this outcome is basically unavoidable.
as for voting, or not voting, indeed, nobody can force me to vote for one candidate, just as nobody can force me to vote at all. m8 refusing to take part in a vote is also part of the constitutional game, which (again) is flawed, but this goes both ways: you cant ask someone to abide by the parts of it that suit you, and renounces to other parts of it that do not.
there are only two way outs: dialogue and consensus, or smashing the present constitution and re-writing it. forget about imposing geagea because you cannot impose him and we will not accept him.
18 September 2014, 16:55
11
three ways out actually, the third being let the people talk and elect a new parliament. if its composition is different then maybe the outcome will be as well. could be to m14 advantage (if they get more MPs and secure a majority to impose geagea) like it could be to m8 advantage and then they would impose aoun. in that scenario the people would have spoken and nobody will be able to challenge the outcome.
18 September 2014, 17:41
10
mowaten- I am all for changing the constitution to better the process. However, spare the BS that you or M8 or anyone else actually wants to do so. It is nothing more than an excuse to justify your/M8's actions. Had anyone, I mean anyone from M14 to M8 to extra terrestrials really wanted to change the constitution for the better, they would have mentioned oh sometime in the last 6 years! not NOW! give me a break, who are you trying to fool? had Claoun and HA had enough seats to vote CLaoun in, would you have been advocating change at this moment? would you be advocating changing the constitution while they are in office? did you advocate change when Suleiman or Lahoud was in the chair?
18 September 2014, 17:48
11
yes anonyme, of course! how did I not think of that!?
you just opened my eyes: anyone not doing what you want, even if doing so within the legal boundaries permitted by the constitution, is a traitor who should be hung!!!!
like seriously, i'd give you a tap on the back if i could, and tell you to go play in your sandbox because in the end you can believe whatever you want, i dont care.
you're simply irrelevant and insignificant and you think using big words and shouting big accusations will change anything to that. but in the end you're just like your heroes: full of hot air, pointless and risible.
18 September 2014, 17:54
11
LEBhasNOhope: i'm not trying to "justify" anything, because i dont need to. this is how things are, you wanted me to elaborate, i elaborated. you not liking my answer wont change anything, especially if you are incapable of answering factually to points i raised.
as a final comment on this: yes i did advocate it since ever, regardeless of who was in office. as far as i can remember i was always against the system upon which this country's institutions function. sectarian modes of government only bring sectarian divisions. and i dont think m8 or m14 will ever do this spontaneously, it's the population that should demand and impose it.
18 September 2014, 18:03
10
you made your last comment and I will make mine. I find it egregiously funny that someone who is such a big advocate of a secular process staunchly supports a sectarian militia to continually usurp the authority of the state and impose its will on the state. Act above the law, as it's own mini state and oh make its own war and peace decision. Is that factual enough for you?
17 September 2014, 21:54
1217
His Saud hairstyle is outdated..he needs to get approval from his masters to change I guess
17 September 2014, 22:07
1610
The divine party - with the support of their agent - aims at destroying all remaining institutions. Their state cannot be created unless they destroy the Lebanese state.
18 September 2014, 00:48
144
Now is the perfect time to restructure all lebanon defacto, bravo... In 2005 and 2009 (btw 1960 was doha well brought electoral law by march 8 , anw) march 14 won majority, and we all know how democracy worked (7 ayyar, black shirt, israel killing all lebanese politician against syrian regime syrian regime, hachem salman, smaha...)
U know tge last time our constitution was changed it tooked 16 years of war... U think now it will be easyer?...
Defacto, stop masking ur position by nonsence words, hezbollah control most of the country, with clAoun he is obstructing what is left of the image of the institutions, before 2009 elections march 8 was saying winner takes it all (remember ngieh) march8 lost and since remember how they acted (again 7ayyar, black shirts....) so what if they lose again..
One only solution, no arms outside the state, all under the law, or cahos...
18 September 2014, 00:51
133
In 1974 leftist and arab nationalist thought they would win over christian right wing with the help of palestinian army... It tooked 16 years, 200000deads, thousands missing (some in assad jails till now or at least lately) where do u thing all this situation with hezbollah acting as he could be over all law can take us to, do u think it will be that easy?...
Man bi sharafak go have some chupachups, time to sleep anyway..
18 September 2014, 01:19
154
KSA's servant or not, Hariri actually going by the constitution (a rarity in Lebanon). A president needs to be elected before the parliamentary elections take place, plain and simple. However, he'll end up violating the constitution along with everyone else when they extend Parliament's term for a second time (assuming a president won't be elected).
18 September 2014, 01:52
715
Awe did I hurt you by telling you your leader is is really stupid
18 September 2014, 06:00
157
Hello defacto. I read with admiration your comments on this thread. I must admit you are gifted, talented, and seem to have an acumen for political matters. There is something about you that reminds me of sayyed hassan. Perhaps it is your aura...
