Berri: Jurisdictions of President Untouched in 'Package Deal'
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربيةSpeaker Nabih Berri defended the so-called “package deal” on the presidency, which was subject to criticism from Christian officials, and assured that it does not include any item specifying the jurisdictions of the president, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Wednesday.
“They say that the package deal is over, for me it still exists. Let them say what they want, it's their opinion not mine,” Berri's visitors quoted him as saying.
“I would like to ask, what is included in the package deal? It is known to all and it does not contain any item on the jurisdictions of the president,” he went on say.
Berri's “package deal” was criticized by several Christian figures including Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, Free Patriotic Movement Minister Jebran Bassil and Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea.
Berri had launched an initiative aimed at ending the presidential impasse. He called for shortening the term of parliament and that the elections be held based on the 1960 law should political forces fail to agree on a new electoral one.
He also called for staging the presidential elections after the parliamentary ones and forming a national unity government.
Rahi blasted the calls for “package deal” that precedes the election of a president, noting that any candidate who accepts it has no “dignity.”
In a show of support to Rahi's stances, Bassil and Geagea issued statement after separate meetings with Rahi on Tuesday rejecting the “package deal.”
On reports claiming that a president is likely to be elected soon, Berri said: “Some believe that a president will be elected in the next few days, but I don't see that coming.”
Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum.
Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah.
Hariri's move prompted Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival, after months of political rapprochement talks between their two parties.
The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.
If Religion was not a basis in the constitution, Lebanon would have been on the economical and stability front same as Monte Carlo and Switzerland.
Stop thinking Muslim/Druze/Christian; as long as you don't understand this elementary common sense, the civilized world will continue moving forward while this country remains in the medieval era.
It is very naive to believe that the main problem of Lebanon is not having a president. the main and root cause of all problems is the constitution.
This constitution on the one hand garantees continuity of the medieval feudal system and keep same families and their religious leaders in an ivory tower while the rest of the population is divided and keeps living as modern slaves in misery.
You're mistaken. It's not the system that creates the mentalities, but rather the existing feudal mentalities that necessitate such a system. As problematic as it is, the system does ensure a balance of power. Without it, Lebanon would not gravitate to the likes of Switzerland and Monaco, as you would like to believe, but rather to the likes of Saudi Arabia and Iran. Even with all the military prowess and populous, the system ensures that sectarian militias like Hizballah are unable to seize sufficient power to overtake the state. Had a more "progressive" system been in place, the President, Prime Minister, and Speaker would have been Hizballah members.