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Crisis-hit Lebanese parliament fails to elect president

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BEIRUT (AP) - KAREEM CHEHAYEB — Lebanon's Parliament on Thursday failed to elect a new president, with the majority of lawmakers casting blank ballots and some walking out. Under Lebanon’s fragile sectarian power-sharing system, the country’s 128-member parliament votes for a president, who must be a Maronite Christian. That's a challenging threshold, and in the context of the country's struggling economy and deeply-divided Parliament, Lebanon's unresolved leadership question has intensified concerns of government paralysis. The six-year term of incumbent President Michel Aoun ends on Oct. 31. He is a retired military general and an ally of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah and was elected in October 2016 following a two-year stalemate.

Aoun’s successor is to be elected at a time when Lebanon is going through an economic meltdown and the government struggles to implement structural reforms required for a bailout from the International Monetary Fund. In recent months, no majority or consensus candidate in Parliament has emerged, raising prospects of renewed political paralysis and stalemate similar to the one prior to the incumbent president’s election. Lebanon also has not had full-fledged government since May, and currently functions in a limited caretaker capacity under Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

One hundred twenty-two legislators attended Thursday's session and cast their paper ballots into a wooden box in Parliament's assembly hall. Over half cast blank ballots, while lawmaker Michel Mouawad, the son of a former president and staunch opponent of Hezbollah, received 36 votes. The remaining dozens of votes were split between entrepreneur and philanthropist Salim Edde and protest votes, including one for Mahsa Amini, the 22 year-old Iranian woman who died after the Islamic Republic's morality police detained her, igniting protests. Dozens of lawmakers left after Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri called for a recount, breaking the session’s required quorum. He did not announce the date of a new session.

Senior Hezbollah legislator Mohammad Raad said the crisis-hit country's parliamentary blocs are in the “early stages” of finding a president who would “bring stability to the country." “The blocs need to discuss and develop an understanding over a possible consensus candidate,” Raad told the press. Independent lawmaker Halime Kaakour, meanwhile, blasted lawmakers for what she called a “negative calm with no consensus," fearing a prolonged delay in electing a new president. “The Constitution says it's the majority of votes,” she told reporters. “I think it's no longer a logical approach to try to reach a consensus in a country that continues to collapse."

Most candidates who were tipped to be among the frontrunners did not receive any votes, most notably Sleiman Frangieh of the Marada Party, an ally of Hezbollah who calls Syrian President Bashar Assad a “friend and brother." Over the past three years, three-quarters of the tiny Mediterranean nation's population slipped into poverty, as the country's infrastructure and public institutions continue to crumble. The Lebanese pound has lost 90% of its value against the dollar, decimating the purchasing power of millions struggling to cope with rampant inflation rates.

Lebanon has been scrambling for over two years to reform its inefficient and wasteful economy, combat corruption, and restructure its demolished banking sector to reach an agreement with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout program. The IMF has recently criticized Lebanon for its slow progress.

We need to implement the terms of the Lebanese constitution to move forward

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by middleeastmonitor.com -- Issam Naaman -- A semi-orchestrated campaign has been seen in Lebanon over the past week calling for the terms of the 1989 Taif Agreement to be implemented. It has involved government heads, ministers, MPs, religious authorities, leaders of political parties, journalists, social media, and women and men from various organisations, circles, regions and affiliations. But why is this happening now? Is it because the American, French and Saudi Arabian foreign ministers issued a statement in New York about the need to "commit to the Taif Agreement which enables the preservation of national unity and civil peace in Lebanon"? Is there anyone within the Lebanese government who opposes the Taif Agreement or calls for its provisions to be bypassed? Or did the three foreign ministers instruct their allies and supporters of their collective interference in Lebanon's internal affairs to raise this issue at this particularly difficult time? If so, why? I would like to remind everyone, opponents and loyalists alike, that most of the reforms and obligations stipulated in the Taif Agreement are an integral part of the Lebanese constitution. The government of Prime Minister Selim Hoss drafted a law to include the agreement's reforms within the body of the constitution, and the House of Representatives approved it on 21 September, 1990. All we need to move forward is to implement the terms of the existing constitution.

The most prominent reforms legislated an introduction for the constitution and amended 31 articles in the constitution, the most important of which are the following: Article 22, which provides for the election of a Parliament on a national, non-sectarian basis, and a Senate with powers limited to crucial issues. Article 24, stipulating that Parliamentary seats are distributed equally between Christians and Muslims. Article 95, which works to abolish political sectarianism according to a phased plan. Is there a country left in the modern world other than Lebanon where many of the provisions of its constitution have not yet been implemented after more than 32 years? The articles were included because the sectarian quota system in government with all its complexities and corruption was adopted upon the establishment of the State of Greater Lebanon by a decision made by the French colonial authorities in 1920. Moreover, we still see the control and corruption of members of the ruling regimes, and the prioritisation of their own interests at the expense of the general national interests, as well as extreme positions taken by some religious figures and institutions.

EXCLUSIVE Lebanon to slash official exchange rate from Nov. 1, finance min says

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BEIRUT, (Reuters) - Lebanon plans to slash its official exchange rate, replacing the 1,507 per dollar rate adopted 25 years ago with a rate of 15,000 in a step towards unifying numerous exchange rates, the finance minister told Reuters on Wednesday. After saying the move would come into effect on Nov. 1, the ministry later said the step was conditioned on the approval of a plan to address the crisis, which is under discussion in parliament. The Lebanese pound has plunged by more than 95% from the official rate since Lebanon fell into financial crisis three years ago, with dollars currently changing hands at around 38,000 on a parallel market. "The goal is for there to be a unification of the exchange rates in Lebanon,"

Finance Minister Youssef Khalil said, calling the decision a "fundamental step" in that direction. The step would come into force on Nov. 1, the ministry said. "Today, Lebanon has entered a new phase and is no longer using an official U.S. dollar exchange rate that makes no sense ... Now we have one that is useful, based on which you can steer the economy toward a better situation," he said.

The decision - which Khalil said was agreed with central bank governor Riad Salameh - marks a milestone in the meltdown that has plunged swathes of the population into poverty in the worst crisis since the 1975-90 civil war. "We have to wait before anticipating further moves," he said. Ruling politicians have so far taken scarcely any action towards tackling the crisis. Unifying the numerous exchange rates operating in the country is one of several conditions set by the IMF for Lebanon to secure a badly needed aid package. The Fund has said this is crucial to boosting economic activity. The IMF said last week progress in implementing reforms remained very slow, with the bulk yet to be carried out.

Cardinal denounces migrant ‘boats of death’ launching from Lebanon

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By Doreen Abi Raad -- cruxnow.com -- BEIRUT — Lebanese Cardinal Bechara Rai denounced the launching of “boats of death” from Lebanon following the drowning of nearly 100 migrants who had attempted to flee the crisis-stricken country. The boat reportedly set off toward Europe Sept. 20 from the port of Miniyeh, near Tripoli, carrying between 120 and 170 migrants and refugees, mostly Syrians, Lebanese and Palestinians. Two days later, it sank in the Mediterranean off the coast of Tartus, Syria, about 30 miles north of Tripoli. “Tragedies have become the daily bread of the Lebanese,'” Rai, Maronite patriarch, said in his Sept. 25 homily at Dimane, the patriarchal summer residence in north Lebanon. “We are appalled by the drowning of … people at sea, boarding boats unfit for long-distance sea crossing,” he said.

Rai lamented “immigration at any cost,” the desperate measures taken by those who embark on a risky, perilous sea journey to escape Lebanon’s suffocating economy with the hopes of a decent standard of living abroad. “The search for life sometimes leads to death,” Rai said. “What is more dangerous is that this tragedy is not the first, so where are the deterrent security measures taken by the state to prevent the boats of death from launching?” the cardinal asked. Earlier in September, at least six people, including children, were killed when a boat bound for Europe from Lebanon sank off the coast of Turkey.

In April, a small migrant boat with dozens of people on board sank off Tripoli. More than 40 people were killed, and many are still missing. “The state is responsible for this tragedy by its inability to get the country out of its economic, financial and social crisis,” Rai said. “We express our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, and we ask God to comfort their hearts with the abundance of his mercy,” he said.

Lebanese lawmakers to convene to elect country's president

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By KAREEM CHEHAYEB Associated Press -- BEIRUT -- Lebanon's parliament speaker on Tuesday summoned lawmakers for a session this week to elect the country’s next president, offering a glimmer of hope of a political step forward even as chaos roils this Mideast nation. Parliament is to convene on Thursday, according to a memo from the speaker, Nabih Berri. Under Lebanon’s fragile sectarian power-sharing system, the country's 128-member parliament votes for a president, who must be a Maronite Christian. The six-year term of incumbent President Michel Aoun — a retired military general and an ally of Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group who was elected in October 2016 following a two-year stalemate — ends on Oct. 31. Aoun's successor is to be elected at a time when Lebanon is going through an economic meltdown and the government struggles to implement structural reforms required for a bailout from the International Monetary Fund. The crisis, which started in late 2019, has plunged three-quarters of the tiny Mediterranean nation into poverty and the Lebanese pound has lost 90% of its value against the dollar. However, it is unclear whether legislators in a deeply divided parliament will be able reach a quorum for the session, raising prospects of renewed political paralysis.

In recent months, no majority or consensus candidate has emerged for the post of Aoun's successor. Sleiman Frangieh of the Marada Party, an ally of Hezbollah who calls Syrian President Bashar Assad a “friend and brother,” has the backing of some key parties but hasn't received the backing of a major Christian bloc. The other announced candidates, Tracy Chamoun, the granddaughter of a former Lebanese president running on an anti-Hezbollah platform, businessman Ziad Hayek, and writer and women's advocate May Rihani have yet to receive any formal endorsements. Hezbollah's opponents, backed by the United States and Gulf Arab monarchies, are hoping to use their influence to ensure that Lebanon's next president is not an ally of Hezbollah. Separately, 13 independent reformist lawmakers are lobbying to try to push for a reformist president who would prioritize reforms and pull Lebanon out of the quagmire.

Lebanon expects U.S. mediator offer for maritime border with Israel within days

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DUBAI, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Lebanon expects a written offer from U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein concerning the demarcation of a maritime border with Israel by the end of the week, Lebanon's presidency tweeted on Monday. Lebanon's deputy speaker of parliament Elias Bou Saab met with Hochstein last week during a visit to New York and briefed President Michel Aoun on the outcome, the presidency added. A U.S. embassy official told Reuters that Hochstein was continuing "his robust engagement to bring the maritime boundary discussions to a close". "We continue to narrow the gaps between the parties and believe a lasting compromise is possible," the official said.

Hochstein has been shuttling between Lebanon and Israel - enemy states with a history of conflict - in a bid to forge a compromise over the maritime boundary that would allow both to explore for offshore energy reserves. A deal could defuse a potential source of conflict between Israel and the heavily armed, Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, which has warned against any Israeli exploration and extraction in the disputed waters.

Lebanon retirees scuffle with police; 2022 budget approved

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BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese army retirees scuffled with parliamentary guard troops as they briefly broke through a cordon leading to Parliament in downtown Beirut during a rally Monday. They were protesting their decimated monthly pay amid the country's economic meltdown. The troops managed to push the crowd back and fired teargas, forcing the elderly retirees to turn away from the street. After a short while, they gathered nearby to continue their protest and demand higher pay. They later dispersed. Hours after the protest, Parliament passed the 2022 budget, a key demand by the International Monetary Fund, with 63 legislators voting in favor, 37 voting against and six abstaining. The new budget will calculate customs tax revenue at 15,000 Lebanese pounds to the dollar at a time when the black market rate is more than double that at about 37,000 pounds to the dollar. Since the meltdown began three years ago, the customs tax revenue was calculated at the official rate of 1,500 pounds to the dollar.

According to the new budget, government expenditures stand at 40.9 trillion pounds ($1.1 billion) at the parallel market rate, while revenue stands at 30 trillion pounds ($810 million). The government also approved a 200% salary increase to civil servants and civilian and military retirees on condition that their monthly income does not exceed 12 million pounds ($324). The rally came as banks in this crisis-hit Lebanon partially reopened Monday following a weeklong closure amid a wave of heists in which assailants stormed at least seven bank branches earlier this month, demanding to withdraw their trapped savings. The Association of Banks in Lebanon had said last Monday it was going on strike amid bank holdups by depositors and activists.