Beirut – Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati surprised the Lebanese public opinion by revealing a letter he had received from Lebanese President Michel Aoun, in which he stated, “It is not okay,” in response to the latter’s proposals to expedite the birth of the new Lebanese government, which Western donors are demanding to speed up its formation in order to release an aid package. Lebanon is pulling out of economic collapse.
Aoun’s message comes two days after his meeting with Mikati at Baabda Palace, where an atmosphere of optimism prevailed regarding overcoming differences over the distribution of ministerial portfolios in the new government and the ministerial weight of each party participating in it.
In statements to local media, Mikati said, “The President of the Republic, at the last meeting of Al-Shawq, was flexible and open to amending the line-up and did not mind naming a minister representing Akkar.”
He added, “During the meeting with the President of the Republic, the names to be changed were presented, including the two ministers, Walid Fayyad and Amin Salam, and he promised at the time that he would give his response after 24 hours, but he asked, ‘Who will name the ministers subject to the amendment?'” “I was surprised, on the next day of the meeting with the President of the Republic, by the dispatch of the Director-General of the Presidency, Antoine Choucair, carrying a message that says, ‘It is not okay,” Mikati said.
◙ Aoun demands guarantees and pledges before releasing the new government, which Mikati rejects, which adheres to a government of reforms
Observers say that the Lebanese president is preoccupied with arrangements after the presidential vacuum, and that the formation of a new Lebanese government in which the Free Patriotic Movement loses its ministerial weight is unlikely before the presidential elections.
They point out that in light of the sharp political division over the upcoming constitutional entitlements, Lebanese politicians entered into a confrontation revolving around interpretations, jurisprudence, and constitutional abuses. This is not only related to the battle of powers, but also how to manage the country in the event of a presidential vacancy, especially since everyone acts on the basis that the presidential elections will not take place on time.
Aoun’s term ends on the 31st of next October, amid disagreements between the Christian forces over the candidate to succeed him, while the names of the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, Gibran Bassil, the head of the Marada movement, Suleiman Franjieh, and the army commander, General Joseph Aoun, are the most prominent candidates for Baabda Palace.
Analysts believe that Aoun’s return to talk about forming the new government and his reception of Mikati after a rift is mainly related to fears of a great division over priorities, especially since Aoun, along with the Free Patriotic Movement and others, accuse the opposite team, which publicly consists of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister-designate Mikati and the party leader. Progressive socialist Walid Jumblatt is working to impose a fait accompli, whose title is to grant the caretaker government constitutional powers that allow it to lead the country in the event of a presidential vacuum.
Lebanese sources revealed that Berri and Mikati opened officials and ministers that they had constitutional fatwas confirming the possibility of granting the caretaker government the power to act as a full-fledged government in the event of a presidential vacancy.
Aoun believes that the “constitutional fatwa” to grant the caretaker government full constitutional powers to run the country comes within the framework of pressure on him to accept the fait accompli and not to proceed with political calculations regarding the weight of his party team within the new formation.
Sources say that if the other party (Mikati and Berri) decides to violate the constitution by granting the caretaker government the capacity to act as President of the Republic, then President Aoun is capable of two things. According to it, another head of government is chosen, who can form it quickly. The second is to search for a way to allow the President of the Republic to form an alternative government to take over the administration of the country in the event of a presidential vacancy.
Bassil (Aoun’s son-in-law) is demanding guarantees and pledges before releasing the new government, which Mikati rejects, who adheres to a government of reforms. And he demands in advance to know the position of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance to lift the cover and protect the Governor of the Banque du Liban, Riad Salameh, to dismiss him.
It also calls for the commitment of the Prime Minister, the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Finance to facilitate the completion of the judicial investigation into the crime of the explosion of the currently frozen port of Beirut due to the lawsuits filed by some of the personalities prosecuted by the investigating judge, against the latter, and which are pending in the accusatory panel at the Court of Cassation.
Bassil insists on the presence of politicians in the government, which reflects that he wants to be a minister in it in order for the prime minister to participate in obtaining the powers of the presidency when a presidential vacuum arises, and thus he has a role in choosing the next president through his influence on government decisions and his influence over them if this prolonged The vacuum, as long as he cannot be elected, is due to the US sanctions imposed on him since November 2020.
The presidential term of Michel Aoun, an ally of Hezbollah, came to an end without any significant achievements, during which Lebanon witnessed the worst economic crisis that put the country on the verge of bankruptcy, while a large part of the Lebanese blame President Aoun and his political team for this.
The constitutional deadline for electing a new president begins in early September. According to the constitution, the process of electing a new president can begin at the beginning of next month, in light of the continuation of the living crisis and economic collapse for more than two years, in addition to the lack of government formation so far.
In addition to the issue of deciding the presidency within the specified constitutional deadline, the qualities of the next president constitute a fundamental point for the Lebanese, and in light of concern that Hezbollah will succeed again in imposing a figure close to it, for this vital position.