
The Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri. (Credit: NNA)
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said on Wednesday, in an interview with the Lebanese media Asas Media, that the Hezbollah and Amal tandem are determined to keep the finance ministry in the next government.
The head of the Amal movement defended what he considers "a right granted to the Shiite community since the adoption of the Constitution resulting from the Taif Agreement (1989)," stating that this issue "has not simply been discussed, but has been settled."
This statement comes as the announcement of the future ministerial team of the designated Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam, who is trying to break with monopoly of communities in the distribution of portfolios traditionally attributed to certain ministries (Finance, Foreign Affairs, Defense, Interior), approaches. Salam said on Tuesday that no ministry "could be an exclusive right for a confession."
Following his lead, the new president of the Republic Joseph Aoun also raised the tone on Wednesday following an interview with a delegation from the Constitutional Council, refusing that the genesis of the Cabinet "gets lost in sectarian, confessional and political meanderings."
In his interview, Berri stated that "obtaining the finance portfolio is not for the consecration of distribution by thirds or the fourth signature. This issue was settled following the Taif Agreement, which is why I hold firmly to it."
Decrees must be countersigned by the president of the Republic, the Prime Minister and the concerned minister(s). The Finance Ministry is the most concerned by most decrees, as there is often a financial aspect in governmental acts. This 'fourth signature' thus allows the Shiite community to have a lever of control over executive power, which is otherwise denied to them by the Constitution and customary rules.
According to information from L’Orient-Le Jour, Salam had submitted at the beginning of the week to Aoun a first distribution of portfolios between the parties and confessional groups, but without mentioning names. While ensuring that "the governmental process is on the right track," the former diplomat specified that he was acting "in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution" and indicated that he had no intention of marginalizing any political component.
Nominated unexpectedly and without any support from Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, Salam gathered the support of 84 MPs during the binding parliamentary consultations on Jan. 13, while everyone expected the renewal of his predecessor, Najib Mikati, as Prime Minister. His nomination sparked the anger of the duo's representatives, who boycotted non-binding parliamentary consultations for the government's formation, before turning the page and eventually talking with the designated Prime Minister.