By James Zogby -- thenationalnews.com -- Several weeks ago, I wrote an article outlining a radical proposal Ralph Nader and I put forward for discussion. The proposal called on Lebanon’s civil society to petition the UN to declare Lebanon a “failed state” requiring international intervention. Many readers commented favourably on the idea, also registering their frustration with Lebanon’s corruption and dysfunction. Others noted that, although the idea was worth considering, they believed that it would never pass the Security Council. The point of the proposal, however, was not to present a fait accompli. Rather, it was to spur exactly the type of discussion that ensued.

What’s clear is that Lebanon is broken, and its people are suffering. Its governing institutions aren’t functioning, and its traditional leadership appears incapable of meeting the challenges confronting the country. Evidence of this dysfunction is the fact that for the past four months Lebanon’s Parliament has been unable to elect a president. In the face of this paralysis, we have witnessed a courageous and important step being taken by a group of newly elected members of the Lebanese Parliament, who have been conducting a protest sit-in, now in its fourth week, at Beirut’s Parliament building. Led by two of the independent “Forces of Change” group of newly electeds, Najat Saliba and Melhem Khalaf, the protesters are calling on their colleagues to convene and fulfil their responsibility to elect a president so that at least a semblance of a functioning government can be formed.

By Jamie Prentis - the nationalnews.com -- The circus over who will become Lebanon’s next president continues to scale new heights. Speaker Nabih Berri has even stopped scheduling presidential sessions in the deeply divided 128-seat legislature, while two new MPs are holding an indefinite sit-in in parliament in a bid to find a successor to Michel Aoun. And then, on Monday, representatives of the US, France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt warned Prime Minister Najib Mikati — whose cabinet is in a caretaker role — that they would reconsider “all ties” if Lebanon failed to elect a president. The governance vacuum comes at a time when Lebanon finds itself entrenched in one of the worst economic crisis in modern history, blamed on decades of corruption and mismanagement by the country’s elite.

What next for Lebanon's opposition in presidential race, Michel Moawad or Plan B? Amid the deadlock, one name has stood out from the rest in the 11 parliamentary sessions. Michel Moawad has consistently courted the support of a third of parliament — a long way off the two-thirds majority required in the first round and the absolute majority needed in subsequent sessions in the same round — but his voice still carries weight. Mr Moawad is very open in saying that he would happily stand aside for another candidate if they are able to secure more votes and have the credentials he supports. Mr Moawad is very open in saying that he would happily stand aside for another candidate if they are able to secure more votes and have the credentials he supports. “Having a president is extremely important,” he told The National from his office in Baabda, minutes away from the presidential palace that Mr Aoun departed from in October. “But … it’s not the election of any president. It’s the election of a president that is sovereigntist, that is reformist, and that is ready to tackle clearly the issues and problems that have led Lebanon to the total collapse that we are living in today.”

By Najla Houssari -- arabnews.com -- In his Sunday sermon, Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi said the Arab and international communities condemned their “corruption,” adding that parliament should convene as soon as possible and decide on a new presidential head. He said: “Yes, the president is a Maronite, but the voters are not all Maronites and Christians. “Indeed, Christian leaders are responsible for the presidential vacuum, but the greater responsibility rests with others. Christians cannot agree over the identity of the president while others cannot agree over the identity of the republic. “We are thus keen not to harm the identity of neither the president nor the republic because they are a guarantee of Lebanon’s unity.” Referring to the parliamentarians, he added: “Are you respecting your top constitutional responsibility of electing a president who legislates the work of parliament and the government? Are you carrying out the internationally required reforms? “Are you letting the judiciary carry out its duties and investigate the Beirut port explosion to reveal the truth and implement justice? “Are you implementing the measures expected from the International Monetary Fund and the international community? “Are you achieving the state of law and eliminating chaos, the proliferation of illegal weapons, and the law of the jungle? “Are you consolidating Lebanon’s sovereignty over all its lands and establishing its independence?”

by reuters — BEIRUT: Lebanon’s veteran central bank chief Riad Salameh said he would not seek a new term in office once …