March 14 Committed to Holding Elections on Time: We Respect Constitutional Deadlines
The March 14 General Secretariat stressed on Wednesday its commitment to holding the parliamentary elections on time, saying that it seeks an agreement over a new electoral law.
It said in a statement after its weekly meeting: “We respect constitutional deadlines, while the March 8 camp appears to be afraid of the elections as it is worried that it will be defeated.”
It noted Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun's remarks on Tuesday during which he said that the “people should not be concerned if the elections are not staged on time.”
“I assure the people that no unrest will take place if the elections are not held due to the March 14 camp's obstruction,” he added.
The General Secretariat continued that Aoun is beginning to realize that he is losing supporters and he is therefore “trying to create a problem in order to thwart the elections.”
“Lebanon and the Lebanese people have set examples on democracy before the peoples of the region,” it stressed.
“We will not abandon the elections and they will be held on time,” he stated.
“The March 14 camp respects democratic principles and the rotation of power. It also insists on reaching an agreement over a new electoral law that garners the approval of all powers,” said the General Secretariat.
General Secretariat coordinator Fares Soaid remarked after the March 14 meeting: “Aoun has never respected constitutional norms and values alliances with teams that possess arms over political allegiances.”
“Should an agreement over a new electoral law fail to be reached, then the elections will be held based on the 1960s law, but this is not a March 14 camp demand,” he added.
“The camp wants the elections to be held. We have failed to reach an agreement over a new law because of the security threats,” he explained.
Various opposition and pro-government forces have expressed their rejection of the 1960s law.
Addressing the Syrian crisis, the March 14 General Secretariat statement said: “The Lebanese state should recognize the Syrian National Coalition seeing as the new Syria will be ruled by the coalition, not the regime of President Bashar Assad.”
“It is therefore natural that Lebanon recognize the coalition after 130 countries already did so,” it added.
“The recognition should be part of the state's policy to disassociate itself from the Syrian crisis,” it explained.
To that end, it proposed that the coalition appoint an ambassador to Lebanon seeing as the Syrian regime already has an ambassador to Lebanon.
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