Hariri's Office: FPM Decision to Cede Votes to President a Grave Constitutional Violation
The Free Patriotic Movement’s decision to cede its votes to President Michel Aoun so that he uses them as he wishes in the binding parliamentary consultations to pick a PM-designate is a “grave constitutional violation,” caretaker PM Saad Hariri’s office said on Monday.
“In the framework of the political contacts prior to the parliamentary consultations that were set for today, it turned out that the Free Patriotic Movement was planning to deposit its votes with the President of the Republic so that he uses them as he wishes,” Hariri’s office said in an English-language statement.
“It is an occasion to warn against repeating the constitutional breach that martyr Prime Minister Rafik Hariri faced during President Emile Lahoud’s term, and to confirm that Prime Minister Hariri cannot cover such a grave constitutional violation, regardless of its use, in designating any prime minister,” the office added.
Hariri was also informed “today at dawn of the Lebanese Forces’ decision to refrain from naming anyone or participating in the nomination of anyone in the parliamentary consultations that were scheduled for today,” the office explained.
It added: “This would have led to a designation without the participation of any substantial Christian bloc, contrary to Prime Minister Hariri's constant attachment to the requirements of national reconciliation.”
“Accordingly, Prime Minister Hariri discussed the matter with Speaker Nabih Berri, who agreed with him. They decided that both of them would call the President and ask him to postpone the consultations for a few days in order to avoid adding new constitutional and national problems to the major social, economic and financial crisis that our country is facing,” the office went on to say.
It added that Hariri believes that the focus should be on “addressing the crisis to preserve the interests of the Lebanese, their living conditions and security.”
Earlier in the day, President Aoun postponed the consultations to Thursday at Hariri’s request.
Hariri had tendered his government’s resignation on October 29, bowing to pressure from unprecedented massive protests against corruption and the entire political class.
Source: Naharnet
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