Lebanese parliament approves new government

Islam News – Lebanon’s newly appointed Cabinet secured a vote of confidence from parliament on Monday, paving the way for billionaire prime minister Najib Mikati to pursue long due reforms to tackle the country’s financial meltdown.

The financial crisis left its mark on the parliamentary session, delaying it by an hour due to a power outage, a frequent theme across a country suffering from acute fuel shortages.

Lawmakers waited outside the main chamber for power to be restored to the building before Speaker Nabih Berri kicked off the meeting to debate the Cabinet’s policy statement.

The government of Mr Mikati, the third prime minister to be designated to lead a cabinet after nearly a year of political paralysis, won the support of a large majority.

Lebanon’s PM calls for ‘sacrifice’ as new government meets for the first time
What reforms does Lebanon need to win international support?
Why are there fuel shortages in Lebanon?
85 lawmakers voted for the government including members of the Iran-backed Hezbollah, its Shiite ally Speaker Nabih Berri’s Amal Movement, the Future Movement (FM) led by former premier Saad Hariri, the country’s top Muslim Sunni official, and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), the largest Christian party founded by the president and currently led by his son-in-law Gebran Bassil.

Fifteen independent MPs and lawmakers affiliated with the Lebanese Forces, the FPM’s political rivals and second largest Christian party, opposed the Cabinet.

The vote of confidence followed interventions by lawmakers who debated the Cabinet’s policy statement.

Mr Mikati was urged by speaker Mr Berri to quickly finish his remarks to allow enough time for lawmakers to discuss the Cabinet’s policy statement before the vote of confidence was held.

“We restored electricity but we’re not sure it is sustainable,” Mr Berri said.

The new Cabinet will seek to resume negotiations with the IMF and would give priority to boosting the state’s power supply, Mr Mikati told lawmakers.

But Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah said any agreement with the IMF should be negotiated, cautioning the government against adopting a “pre-defined” deal.

A close ally of Hezbollah, Mr Bassil said his bloc would vote for the Cabinet to pursue anticorruption reforms in line with its policy statement.

Mr Bassil had previously refrained from nominating Mr Mikati to serve as prime minister for the post, arguing that his support for the Cabinet was conditional on its makeup and programme.

Mr Mikati replaced Mr Hariri who stepped down after nine months of bickering with President Michel Aoun over the Cabinet lineup. The political deadlock plunged the country further into crisis.

Source: The National News