Hezbollah criticizes 'those who want to postpone crisis resolution to after the presidential election'

BEIRUT — Hezbollah's executive council vice president, Ali Daamouch, criticized Sunday officials who want to "postpone" the resolution of  Lebanon's crisis until after the presidential election, as talks on the formation of a new government, which would be tasked with undertaking reforms, have stalled, our correspondent in South Lebanon reported.

At a Hezbollah event in Ansar, South Lebanon, Daamouch said that there are two opposing methods: "one that wants to postpone solutions until the post-presidential election period and another that advocates taking the initiative and quickly finding solutions to the crises, without postponing them under any circumstances: the latter is our method." Daamouch added that "the first method leads to the aggravation of the crises and the obstruction of the solutions requested."

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For his part, MP Hassan Fadlallah, also a member of Hezbollah, stated that people should not think that the election of a new president "will solve the problems of the country," adding that "it is true that this is a constitutional deadline that must be met, but those who say that electing a new head of state will solve all the problems are only deceiving people," he said at an event in Bint Jbeil, South Lebanon.

Preventing the aggravation of the crisis

Daamouch called for the rapid formation of a full-fledged government, "which would assume its responsibilities in this sensitive and delicate period, adding that "the resigning government must work, to the extent of its capabilities, to prevent the further collapse."

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In turn, the deputy Secretary-General of Hezbollah Naim Qassem insisted on the formation of a new cabinet "even if it remains in office only a week or two," recalling that it is only through the government that "the recovery and rescue plan" of the country can be approved. A ministerial team in office "will be able to solve a potential problem at the presidential level if this deadline is not met on time," he added. He also said that the formation of a new team would preclude having to answer "the question of whether a caretaker government can serve as an alternative [to a presidential vacancy] or not."

Hezbollah is allied with the Free Patriotic Movement, which blames Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati for refusing to form a government before the presidential election, after which a new government should be formed. Gebran Bassil, leader of the FPM and son-in-law of the current head of state, accuses Mikati of doing everything possible to ensure that no economic recovery measures are taken before the end of the mandate of Michel Aoun on Oct. 31.

Some observers fear that, in the absence of a new fully empowered cabinet, Aoun will refuse to leave the Baabda Palace at the end of his term. The question of whether or not a caretaker government can exercise the president's authority has been a controversial issue between Mikati and the presidential camp for weeks. 

Additional reporting by Muntasser Abdallah.

Le Hezbollah critique "ceux qui veulent reporter les solutions à l'après-présidentielle"