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Lahoud calls in army after vote fails
 Lebanese President Emile Lahoud ordered the army to take charge of security on Friday after political rivalry blocked the election of his successor, hours before he was due to step down. The Lebanese parliament failed on Friday to grasp its last chance to elect a head of state before pro-Syrian Lahouds term expires at midnight. The speaker of parliament asked members to meet again next Friday for another attempt. The move leaves the country in political vacuum with rivals claiming to be the legitimate power. A presidential statement repeated Lahouds view that the existing cabinet led by Western-backed Prime Minister Fouad Siniora was illegitimate. The constitution stipulates that the serving government takes on presidential powers until a new head of state is elected. A government source said Lahouds move was unconstitutional and worthless. Sinioras cabinet says it will assume presidential powers until a new president is elected. Despite the claims of rival factions, there was no sign that the conflict would lead to violence soon. The army had deployed in central Beirut overnight for the parliament session. Lahoud said that the dangers of a state of emergency exist and have been fulfilled but experts said the wording fell short of a declaration of a state of emergency. (The president) entrusts the army with the authority to maintain security on all Lebanese territory and put all armed forces at its disposal with effect from November 24, Lahoud said in a statement. Another prominent opponent of the Siniora government, Christian leader and presidential candidate Michel Aoun, said in a statement the existing cabinet would become a usurper government as soon as Lahoud leaves office. The dispute is between an anti-Syrian parliamentary majority led by the son of assassinated former prime minister Rafik Al-Hariri and an opposition alliance led by Hezbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran. The US and European Union called for calm. The US government commends Lebanons armed forces and security services for their stated commitment to ensuring law and order, a US State Department spokesman said. Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri, a Shia opposition leader, put off the presidential election vote for a fifth time on Friday because the rival factions were deadlocked. The delay means the presidency, always held by a Maronite Christian under Lebanons sectarian power-sharing system, will be vacant for at least a week. Unless a consensus candidate emerges soon, the country could end up saddled with competing administrations as at the end of its 1975-1990 civil war. Beirut stock exchange: Concern about the political impasse and possible instability pushed the Beirut stock exchange index down 4 percent. French-led mediation efforts failed to resolve the dispute over the presidency which reflects a regional struggle pitting Washington against Syria and Iran, both allies of Hezbollah. The US and its local allies blame Syria for the deadlock. Hezbollah and its Christian partners say the majority bloc wants to keep them from their rightful share of power. They accuse Washington of seeking to control Lebanon. More than 100 lawmakers from both camps went to parliament in downtown Beirut, but opposition MPs did not enter the assembly chamber in line with a boycott declared a day earlier. Before announcing the delay, Berri held separate meetings with majority leaders Saad Al-Hariri and Walid Jumblatt, a sign the rival camps have not yet burned all their bridges. We are for consensus and we will remain for consensus, Hariri said. Posted by: Fred 2007-11-24 |
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