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Parliament affirms Hariri’s mandate in lackluster session on cabinet formation

BEIRUT — Parliament affirmed Saad Hariri’s mandate to form a government on Saturday in a session devoted to the topic, with Hariri, Free Patriotic Movement leader Gebran Bassil and other MPs giving...

Rana Tabbara, 22 May 2021

Lebanon has registered 331 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Six more people have died, bringing the death toll to 7,670

22 May 2021

Berri has ended the session, which lasted about an hour and 40 minutes. Parliament adopted a position affirming Hariri’s mandate to form a government in accordance with the constitution and in agreement with the president

22 May 2021

Speaking after Bassil, Premier-designate and MP Saad Hariri (Future/West Beirut) claimed Aoun’s letter was aimed at absolving the president of responsibility for obstructing the formation of a new government. He again insisted he aims to form a cabinet of “specialists”

22 May 2021

Bassil added that the president should have a list of names, their sects and political leanings, along with the names of those who had nominated them, before signing off on a cabinet. He again denied that he is demanding veto power in a new government

22 May 2021

During a session of Parliament to discuss a complaint from President Michel Aoun over the cabinet formation impasse, Aoun’s son-in-law, MP Gebran Bassil (FPM/Batroun), said the point was to form a government, not withdraw Premier-designate Saad Hariri’s mandate

22 May 2021

Speaker Nabih Berri has convened a session of Parliament to discuss an official letter from President Michel Aoun blaming Premier-designate and MP Saad Hariri for the failure to form a government. The discussion had been postponed after the letter was read at yesterday’s session

22 May 2021

Sayrafa and dollar payouts: Pulling rabbits out of a hat

I’m currently traveling, in a time zone several hours behind Beirut. Thus, my best indicator of significant developments in Lebanon is the number of missed calls I have early in the morning. By 8...

Dan AZZI, 22 May 2021

MP Assem Araji (Future/Zahle) tweeted that he has communicated with Financial Prosecutor Ali Ibrahim over LL400 billion allocated for Litani River cleanup. He claimed that little field work had been done as “cancer cases and digestive diseases are spreading in nearby villages”

22 May 2021