Mustaqbal Accuses Hizbullah, Change and Reform Bloc of Hindering Presidential Polls
The Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc condemned on Tuesday the parliament's failure to elect a new president after the tenth elections session, holding Hizbullah and the Change and Reform bloc responsible for obstructing the polls.
It said in a statement after its weekly meeting: “Electing a new head of state should be a priority above all other political issues.”
Parliament failed to elect a president on Tuesday after a lack of quorum caused by the boycott of the Change and Reform and Hizbullah's Loyalty to the Resistance blocs over a consensual candidate.
The March 8 camp has been demanding that a consensual candidate be elected.
Head of the Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Aoun has repeatedly said that he would be willing to run in the polls if there was consensus over his nomination.
Addressing the recent clashes between the army and Islamist militants in the northeastern town of Arsal, the Mustaqbal bloc hailed the sacrifices of the army, saying that “its martyrs are the martyrs of the whole of Lebanon.”
It added: “We welcome the liberation of Arsal from the militants and lessons should be derived from the incident.”
It also lauded the Saudi grant to the Lebanese army, saying that the kingdom has long sought to bolster state institutions, while other powers have sought to support “non-state ones.”
Saudi Arabia announced last week the dedication of one billion dollars aimed at supporting the army in combating terrorism.
The Mustaqbal bloc also demanded the safe return of troops abducted by the gunmen in Arsal, saying that this should be a national priority.
The gunmen withdrew from the town last week, taking with them a number of troops.
The clashes in the northeastern town erupted when the army arrested on August 2 a prominent member of the al-Qaida-affiliated al-Nusra Front.
Several soldiers were killed and wounded in the clashes that ended on Thursday.
M.T.
S.D.B.
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