Lebanon's caretaker agriculture minister during a press briefing on Jan. 8, 2023. (Courtesy of: Sarah Abdallah)
BEIRUT — Caretaker Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan on Sunday said that the Lebanese situation "demands a cabinet meeting." However, the convening of such a gathering would likely prove controversial as the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) opposes a caretaker government meeting.
On Dec. 2, most FPM-related caretaker ministers boycotted a cabinet session on the grounds that holding session in the present context is a "violation of the constitution."
The FPM accused caretaker Prime minister Najib Mikati of wrongly taking on certain presidential powers by convening his outgoing cabinet at a time when Lebanon is without a president. Former President Michel Aoun's term ended on Oct. 31.
During a press briefing on Sunday, Hajj Hassan, who is affiliated with the Amal Movement, said that the discussion on whether or not the government may meet, "should be done in Parliament and not in the media."
On Nov. 3, Parliament decided that the current caretaker cabinet headed by Mikati can proceed with its caretaker duties without meeting except in emergency cases.
Last week, the FPM and Mikati once again exchanged blame regarding the prerogatives of the outgoing prime minister, as different files are currently pending executive approval, notably regarding the financing of fuel for electricity production.
Hajj Hassan also said that the way to overcome the presidential vacuum is through "dialogue," a proposal made on numerous occasions by the Amal Movement, to which the minister is known to be close, and Hezbollah.
Proposals by the Amal Movement's leader Nabih Berri to gather all political forces for such dialogue have been opposed by the Lebanese Forces, the Kataeb and the FPM.