By Sunniva Rose — The National.ae. — Lebanon’s 128 MPs are scheduled to attend the first Parliament session since their May 15 election on Tuesday. For the first time in years, the streets surrounding Parliament will be, at least in part, cleared of large cement blocks that were erected during nationwide protests in 2019. Legislators will be asked to elect a president, a deputy president, two secretaries and three commissioners. Veteran Parliament Speaker, Nabih Berri, 84, is widely expected to be re-elected for the seventh time. But analysts believe the he will probably not win as easily as before.

Representatives of Lebanon’s traditional sectarian political class, including former warlords such as Mr Berri, have become highly unpopular due to the country’s economic meltdown. Mr Berri needs an absolute majority of 65 votes to be elected in the first round. A second and third vote are possible. On the final round, the winner is the person with the highest number of votes. Local media reported on Monday that, while Mr Berri is guaranteed to be elected in the first or second round, he will probably receive much less support than in 2018. At this time, he won in the first round with 98 votes. He will likely be supported by his own political party, the Amal Movement; its closest ally, Hezbollah; as well as the Druze Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) and smaller parties and other people.

Those who said that they will not vote for Mr Berri include Lebanon’s two rival Christian parties, the Lebanese Forces (19 MPs) and the Hezbollah-allied Free Patriotic Movement (18 MPs). While the LF have called against voting for Mr Berri since they rejoined political life 2005, the FPM used not to issue clear instructions for or against his election, giving their MPs space for personal initiative. Due to Lebanon’s sectarian politics, it remains important for a Parliament speaker to receive votes from Lebanon’s main religious communities, including Christians. This year, three Armenian Christian MPs are sure to vote for Mr Berri.

by AFP — BEIRUT: Lebanon has questioned ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn after receiving an Interpol red notice for his arrest but did not take new legal measures against him, a court official said Monday. “Judge Imad Qabalan interrogated Ghosn in the presence of his legal representative over the contents of the red notice,” the official […]

by naharnet — MP Sajih Atiyeh has announced that he is still running for the deputy parliament speaker post and that he will meet Monday with Speaker Nabih Berri along with his Akkar Development bloc. Speaking to Radio All of Lebanon, Atiyeh said he is no longer a “consensual candidate,” seeing as the Free Patriotic Movement has nominated MP Elias Bou Saab for the post. Asked whether he has won the endorsement of the Lebanese Forces, Atiyeh said he believes that the LF would choose him over Bou Saab. Bou Saab had visited Berri on Saturday to put him in the picture of his nomination. He left without making a statement.

Sources meanwhile told An-Nahar newspaper that “there will be no bargain between the speaker post and the deputy speaker post” and that the FPM “will not vote for Speaker Berri.” “Everything that MP Elias Bou Saab is doing, from his nomination to his movement, is based on the initiative of FPM chief MP Jebran Bassil,” the sources added. Atiyeh had visited Ain el-Tineh on Thursday، “carrying to Berri the votes of Akkar’s MPs,” which raises the level of competition between him and Bou Saab, An-Nahar noted.

source: elnashra – MP Elias Bou Saab

شار النائب ​الياس بو صعب​ الى انه “من الطبيعي لمرشح على موقع نيابة رئاسة مجلس النواب التواصل مع رئيس المجلس النيابي ​نبيه بري​ الذي سيكون حكما الثلاثاء رئيسا للمجلس، وانا تواصلت معه واتواصل مع كلّ الكتل حتّى تلك التي لن تصوّت لي وتضحكني نظرية المؤامرة”. طوق، واتابع زياراتي واتصالاتي شملت 90 بالمئة من الكتل، حتّى تلك التي لن تصوت لي”. واكد بان علاقتي مع بري لم تنقطع يوما بالرغم من الاختلافات بال​​، والتعاطي مع بري فيه الكثير من الاحترام بالرغم من الاختلاف في وجهات النظر في الكثير من الامور. اوضح بان “زيارتي لبري واتصالاتي مع الجميع هي بالتنسيق مع رئيس التكتل النائب جبران باسيل”. ولفت الى ان التيار الوطني الحر لن يصوت لبري لرئاسة المجلس الا انه سيترك لاعضاء التكتل حرية الاخيتار، واكد بان بري حتّى لم يسألني ان كنت بالشخصي سأصوّت له.. وتحدثنا في اصلاحات متعلّقة بالمجلس النيابي وتشاركنا بالافكار ولم نتحدّث بأي شيء آخر ولم نأت على ذكر الوزارة ولا الحكومة وكلّ ما يقوله البعض عن مقايضات عار من الصحة.

دعوا النوّابَ يَعُدّون أسماءَهم ويُوزِّعونَها على كُتلٍ حقيقيّةٍ ومجازيّة، دَعوهم يَفرَحون برفعِ السواترِ من محيطِ مجلسِ النوّاب على أمل رفعِ الستائرِ عن مواقفِهم. دَعوهم وتعالوا نَبحَثْ عن مصيرِ لبنانَ المتَمايِلِ بين مشروعَي الأكثريّةِ والأقليّاتِ في الشرقِ الأوسطِ وليس بين الأكثريّةِ والأقليّةِ في المجلسِ النيابيّ. نحن اللبنانيّين مجموعةُ أقليّاتٍ فَشِلنا في أن نُكوِّنَ أكثريّةً جامعةً ونَكُونَ شعبًا موحَّدًا. مَكَثنا في زمنِ المدائن والكنائس والمآذِن. وحين لامَسَت التجربةُ اللبنانيّةُ النجاح، انتَصَبت المطالبُ الطائفيّةُ عِوضَ الإعجابِ بمن نَجحوا وهُم من جميعِ الطوائف. لم تَبقَ تُهمةٌ لم تُلصَقْ بتلك الدولةِ النُخبويّةِ التي صَنعَت مجدَ لبنان وحَمَت شعبَه وحدودَه من دونِ طلقةِ نار. كان زمنُ: “قُلْ كلمةً واحدةً فتَحيا بها نفسي”…

كان الذَكاءُ صواريخَنا العابِرة، والحِيادُ مُسيّراتِنا، والنظامُ المصرِفيُّ شبكةَ أمانِنا، والاقتصادُ المتنوِّعُ كَفافَ أجيالِنا، والديبلوماسيّةُ أوراقَ اعتمادِنا، والميثاقُ استراتيجيّتَنا الدفاعيّة، والازدهارُ سلاحَنا المدَمِّر… يومَها كانت قوّةُ لبنان في مناعتِه لا في ضُعفِه. يومَها كان العالمُ العربيُّ والدُوليُّ يَعتبر لبنانَ حاجةً فيما اعتبرَه بعضُ بَنيه عالةً. يومَها كان العالمُ العربيُّ يدفُقُ الأموالَ والاستثماراتِ، والغربُ يَتدخّلُ حتى عسكريًّا للحفاظِ على لبنان. يومَها كنّا أُمّيين في تَـهْجئَةِ حروفِ اللامركزيّةِ والفِدراليّةِ والكونفدراليّة، ولم يَخطُر بِبالِنا أنَ نَفتحَ القاموسَ لنعرِفَ معاني هذه الكلمات. لم يكن ذلك حُلمًا ولا حنينًا سورياليًّا. كنا سعداءَ حتّى في خِلافاتِنا لأنّنا كنّا قادرين على احتوائِها إلى أن أتَت ساعةُ تسليمِ لبنان إلى جلّاديه. آهٍ كَم كانت أعدادُ “يَهوذا”، وكم كانت أعدادُ “بيلاطُس”…

كان القَنّاصُ “عَ المفْرق ناطِرْنا”. نيرانٌ شريكةٌ ثم شقيقةٌ ثم عدوّةٌ أصابَت لبنان؛ لكنَّ اللبنانيّين ظلّوا واقفِين وصامدين نِصفَ قرنٍ ونيِّفًا. ضَمّدوا جراحاتِهم وتَصالحوا على أساسِ ميزانِ قوى جديدٍ فتَشوَّهَت المصالحةُ وراحَ ميزانُ القِوى يَنتَقلُ من فريقٍ إلى آخَر. حاولوا تناسِي الخطايا المتبادَلةِ والشهداءِ أحيانًا والانطلاقِ من جديد. أَعطَوْا فرصةً أخرى للشَراكةِ المركزيّةِ ولوِحدةِ الكيان. لكنْ، كلمّا كان يَهتدي مُكوِّنٌ لبنانيٌّ كان يَضِلُّ مكوِّنٌ آخَر. مُشْتهى الولاءِ إلى المحيطِ القريبِ والأبعدِ كان أقوى من روحِ المصالحةِ ومَنطقِ العقلِ ونَجوى الوِجدان.

والخطورةُ أنَّ الولاءَ المتجَدِّدَ للخارج لم يَقِف، هذه المرّةَ، عند حدودِ الهَوى القوميِّ، بل تَـمدَّد حتّى التبعيّةِ المطلَقةِ وتَبنّي مشاريعَ دينيّةٍ وسياسيّةٍ وعسكريّةٍ واجتماعيّةٍ وعقائديّةٍ ضدَّ المشروعِ اللبنانيّ. والخطورةُ الأخرى أنَّ أحدَ هذه المشاريعِ الأجنبيّةِ صار دولةً مستقِلّةً على أرضِ لبنان وتُسيطرُ على دولةِ لبنانَ الشرعيّة. لكنَّ الـمُصيبةَ الكبرى أنَّ غالِبيّةَ القوى السياسيّةِ، لاسيّما حَديثو النيابةِ ودعاةُ التغييرِ الضبابيِّ، يُقاربون الأزْمةَ اللبنانيّةَ الراهنةَ بمنأى عن القضيّةِ اللبنانيّةِ التاريخيّة، ويَعتقدون أنَّ مِنَ الأرقامِ يَخرُجُ الحلُّ المعجِزة. غابت عن إطلالاتِهم الإعلاميّةِ المواقفُ الوطنيّةُ المصيريّةُ، واكتفوا بالسياسةِ اليوميّةِ والاقتصاد، وارتَضَوا المساكنةَ مع سلاحِ حزبِ الله.

by arabnews.com — LONDON: Al Arabiya network denied accusations and threats made by Lebanese terror group Hezbollah in a statement issued on Thursday, which claimed that the network is peddling false information on the militia’s captagon and drug smuggling operations. Al Arabiya stressed that all accusations cited in the Hezbollah statement are false. It also […]

By Najia Houssari — arabnews.com — BEIRUT: The dollar exchange rate on Lebanon’s black market was expected to continue its fall in the wake of measures announced by central bank Gov. Riad Salameh on Friday, a senior banker told Arab News. The banker expects the exchange rate to drop further until it is almost equal […]

  General Abbas Ibrahim By nbc news — Abigail Williams, Dan De Luce and Mustafa Kassem —The head of Lebanon’s main intelligence service General Abbas Ibrahim met with Biden administration officials in Washington this week to discuss reviving negotiations with the Syrian government in a bid to secure the release of journalist and former marine […]

  by naharnet — Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Thursday scheduled a Tuesday parliamentary session for the election of a new speaker, deputy speaker and the members of the Parliament Bureau, the National News Agency said. The session will be held at 11am at parliament’s building in Beirut’s Nejmeh Square, NNA added. Berri, 84, has […]

By EPHREM KOSSAIFY — arabnews.com — NEW YORK: The UN Security Council on Wednesday welcomed the fact that parliamentary elections in Lebanon went ahead as planned on May 15, “despite challenging circumstances,” but called for the swift formation of a new, inclusive government and the “urgent implementation” of previously outlined economic reforms. In a joint statement, council members said that the reforms should include the adoption of “an appropriate” national budget for 2022 that will enable the speedy implementation of an agreement with the International Monetary Fund “to respond to the demands of the Lebanese population.” The country’s economy has been mired since August 2019 in a crippling crisis, during which the Lebanese pound has lost more than 90 percent of its value and more than three-quarters of the population have fallen into poverty.

Last month, Lebanon and the IMF had reached an agreement on a plan that could unlock about $3 billion of international funding over several years. However, the deal is subject to approval by the management and executive board of the IMF, and hinges on Lebanese authorities implementing a host of economic reforms, including the restructuring of the country’s collapsed banking sector, improved transparency, and unifying the multiple exchange rates that apply to the nation’s spiraling currency.

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s currency hit a new low Tuesday as deep divisions within the newly elected parliament raised concerns that political paralysis could further exacerbate one of the worst economic meltdowns in history. The legislature elected May 15 showed no clear majority for any group and a fragmented and polarized parliament divided between pro- and anti-Hezbollah lawmakers. The sides will likely find it difficult to work together to form a new government and enact desperately needed reforms. Among those elected to the 128-member parliament were 13 independents. They took part in the protest movement against Lebanon’s entrenched political class blamed for the crisis rooted in decades of corruption and mismanagement. This sets up a potential clash in parliament between the two camps, raising concerns of a protracted deadlock to form a new Cabinet desperately needed to resume negotiations with the International Monetary Fund over a bailout program.

On Tuesday afternoon, the dollar was selling at 34,000 pounds on the black market, surpassing the 33,000 pounds to the dollar recorded in January. The Lebanese currency was pegged at 1,500 pounds to the dollar for 22 years until the crisis erupted in in October 2019. Since then, more than 80% of the population has been plunge into poverty, suffering acute shortages in electricity, medicine and other necessities as central bank reserves dry up. The crisis has also triggered the biggest wave of emigration since the 1975-90 civil war. On Friday, Lebanon’s outgoing government approved a recovery plan for pulling the Mideast nation out of its economic meltdown. The development came during the Cabinet’s last official meeting before it becomes a caretaker government following the elections. The plan is a key IMF demand.