Lebanon’s Political Blocs Compete Over ‘Sovereign’ Ministerial Portfolios
Nazeer Rida/Asharq Al Awsat/November 07/16
Beirut – Ongoing consultations to form the new Lebanese government have highlighted local competition between the different political blocs over the sovereign portfolios, which include the ministries of interior, finance, defense and foreign affairs. Those key ministries are usually allocated to the country’s four major political confessions, including the Maronite, Greek Orthodox, Sunni and Shiite sects. Media reports said that the Sunnis’ share in the government will be allocated to the bloc of Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, while the Shiite share will be dedicated to Speaker Nabih Berri. Unconfirmed reports added that the two other key ministries will be part of President Michel Aoun’s share, while the Lebanese Forces party – a key Christian supporter of Aoun – will not have its share in the sovereign portfolios.
Lebanese Forces (LF) MP Fadi Karam said that the agreement with Aoun was based on national partnership, adding that his bloc wanted to have “efficient” positions in the country. In a radio interview, Karam said that the Lebanese Forces were seeking to get a sovereign portfolio in order to assume a greater responsibility within the government. Disagreements over the distribution of key portfolios are likely to delay the formation of the new Cabinet. The head of the Democratic Gathering bloc, MP Walid Jumblatt, has earlier voiced his concern over this matter, as he was quoted by the local media saying: “It is important to facilitate the formation of the government and avoid requests that are impossible to meet”. In comments to Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, Lebanese legal expert, Dr. Wassim Mansouri, said that the sovereign portfolios are not stated in the Lebanese Constitution, but have become a customary rule in the political life. The Constitution does not distinguish between a ministry and another and considers all ministers to be equal, he added. Mansouri explained that the importance of the finance ministry lies in the fact that the minister signs “99.99 per cent of Cabinet decisions”. He added that the foreign affairs minister is Lebanon’s official spokesperson abroad, while the defense ministry defines the country’s defense policy and the interior ministry monitors internal security, parliamentary elections and other key duties. Hariri began on Friday consultations with the parliamentarians to form the new cabinet, after being nominated to the post by 112 out of 126 members of parliament.
Bassil: Aoun was Hezbollah’s Ally… Now he is Ally of All Lebanese
Thaer Abbas/Asharq Al Awsat/November 07/16
Beirut-Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil expressed his country’s desire to restore relations with Saudi Arabia, asserting that both states would witness better days.In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Bassil who is the son-in-law of Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun and his right hand man, said the head of state’s position vis-à-vis the Arab world is more than positive. “Aoun believes that Lebanon cannot exist without its Arab identity, and without its Arab neighbors and normal relations with Arab states,” Bassil said. Asked to comment on the Gulf dismay from the position taken by Lebanon at the Arab League after the attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad, Bassil said: “We cannot build on a mistake that was committed in the past.”
He asserted that Lebanon’s government and its foreign ministry had not violated the protocol of the Arab League and had never left the rule of staying away from the policy of axes. The Foreign Minister said that Aoun “was Hezbollah’s ally when he was the leader of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc. But after his election, Aoun became the ally of all the Lebanese.” Bassil admitted that the so-called Hezbollah belongs to the groups that are currently interfering in Syria. “There is a problematic situation that requires a complete withdrawal of all parties currently present in Syria.”
He said the country should be left for Syrians who should unilaterally end the current military situation, fight terrorism and establish a regime that pleases them. The president’s son-in-law said the slogan of Lebanon’s new era should be a respect for the Constitution and laws. “The image of Lebanon should be that of a state acting independently in its local decisions and foreign policy,” Bassil told the newspaper.
When asked whether the shift of alliances witnessed in Lebanon in the past few months could be interpreted as a coup in the political scene, Bassil said: “A coup happens when you use force.”He said the change in alliances happened because the image of Lebanon was “fake.”“Today there is a very normal image reflecting the desire of Christians to see Michel Aoun as the president of the Republic,” he added. Bassil asserted there was no deal between Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and Aoun at the expense of any other Lebanese faction, saying the country’s political parties are required to fully cooperate with the authorities to secure the success of the new era.
“There is a national understanding,” he said, adding that “time will prove that we had not agreed in advance on the next Army Commander or the Central Bank governor.”However, Bassil stated that his party had asked Hariri to respect the National Charter and the norms of representation. “There was a deficiency in all state positions including the government. We asked that this deficiency be handled without harming the representation of any party.”The minister added: “We cannot be in a position where one party not having enough people to represent gets three ministers in the cabinet, and parties with 60 to 70 percent of representation get two ministers.”
Bassil expected the new government to be formed swiftly. “There is an important optimistic drive that would help its formation,” he said. Asked whether Lebanon was ready to draft a new electoral law and hold the parliamentary elections, the Foreign Minister said: “The next law should get the approval of all political parties…We should be ready to agree on a law during a period of two or three months and hold parliamentary polls on time.”
Concerning the relations with Speaker Nabih Berri, Bassil said Berri is an essential part of the state and it will be normal to include him in the political process.“We will only deal positively with him, and our hands are extended for cooperation,” he added.