Cabinet to Hold First Session Under Presidential Vacuum
The cabinet will hold at the end of this week at the Grand Serail the first session in the absence of a head of state, however, the meeting is not expected to discuss any controversial issues.
“The session will discuss an uncontroversial agenda,” Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq told An Nahar newspaper published on Wednesday, ruling out that new appointments will be tackled at the session.
The session's agenda reportedly contains 25 “normal” administrative articles.
Telecommunications Minister Butros Harb said in remarks published in As Safir newspaper that “the dilemma would be over the decrees approved by the cabinet.”
He hinted that one minister could obstruct the work of the cabinet if he refused to sign a certain decree.
The presidential vacuum raised fears that it would affect Lebanon's power-sharing agreement under which the president should be a Maronite, the premier a Sunni and the speaker a Shiite.
The cabinet assumes the executive tasks of the president as stated by the constitution until a new head of state is elected.
Lebanon has been plunged into a leadership vacuum after Michel Suleiman's presidential term ended on Sunday with rival political blocs still divided over a new leader.
Over the past two months the parliament convened five times to try to elect a successor to Suleiman but failed during the last four sessions due to a lack of quorum.
Labor Minister Sejaan Qazzi rejected in comments to As Safir attempts by some parties to boycott the cabinet.
For his part, Tourism Minister Michel Pharoan told the newspaper that the “March 14 Christians will not boycott the cabinet sessions.”
Culture Minister Rony Araiji warned of the presidential vacuum, revealing that the Marada Movement rejects to obstruct the work of the cabinet.
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