Charbel: Election of a president not decided by the Lebanese

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marwan charbelCaretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel told An-Nahar newspaper in remarks published on Thursday that the election of a new president for Lebanon is decided by the international powers and not by the Lebanese people.

“The decision to hold presidential elections is not in the hand of the Lebanese,” Charbel said

“It is an international decision that was delegated during the most recent period to the Syrians, who were implementing the international decisions.” Charbel said

The minister also said that the Syrian regime could still play an influential role in the upcoming presidential elections.

His comments come after the Kuwaiti newspaper al Rai recently quoted Hezbollah sources who were defending Hezbollah’s role in Syria’s civil war as saying “Whoever will rule Syria will rule Lebanon”.

The sources added: “Right from the beginning Hezbollah has tied its fate to the fate of Syrian president Bashar Al Assad. We will either fall together or we will be victorious together because whoever will rule Syria will rule Lebanon”.

Hezbollah and Iranian troops have become directly and increasingly involved in the command structures of Assad’s forces and Assad has been forced gradually to cede power to Iran to prop up his regime during the grinding conflict in Syria.

Charbel’s remarks come also after an al-Qaeda-linked group in Lebanon claimed responsibility for an attack Tuesday on the Iranian embassy in southern Beirut that killed 23 people, including an Iranian cultural attaché. The group said it will continue the attacks until the Iranian-backed Shi`ite group Hezbollah withdraws its fighters from the Syrian civil war.

President Michel Suleiman, whose mandate expires in 2014, has repeatedly said that he is against the extension of his own term.

Regarding the state of security in Lebanon, Charbel said that a number of “dangerous stages” lie ahead.

According to the minister, the stages that could affect “the situation in the country and its future” included the presidential and parliamentary elections, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, the election of a Syrian president and the election of a new Mufti of the Lebanese republic.

Charbel, however, added that it was unlikely that a sectarian conflict pitting the Sunni community against the Shiite community would take place in the capital city Beirut, “since both parties are powerful, and fighting each other is not in their interest.”

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12 responses to “Charbel: Election of a president not decided by the Lebanese”

  1. Constantin7 Avatar
    Constantin7

    How could a Lebanese minister tell the world that election of the Lebanese President is not decided by the Lebanese ? This man needs a dose of patriotism.

    1. lebanesesam Avatar
      lebanesesam

      Agreed, but at least he is not lying – who knows what will happen to him now

    2. Maborlz Ez-Hari Avatar
      Maborlz Ez-Hari

      This guy is telling it like it is! And its his PATRIOTISM that’s made him tell the sad truth. This guy and men like him are who we need more of in our government with the peoples full and undivided support.

  2. Constantin7 Avatar
    Constantin7

    How could a Lebanese minister tell the world that election of the Lebanese President is not decided by the Lebanese ? This man needs a dose of patriotism.

    1. lebanesesam Avatar
      lebanesesam

      Agreed, but at least he is not lying – who knows what will happen to him now

    2. Maborlz Ez-Hari Avatar
      Maborlz Ez-Hari

      This guy is telling it like it is! And its his PATRIOTISM that’s made him tell the sad truth. This guy and men like him are who we need more of in our government with the peoples full and undivided support.

  3. The real lebanese Avatar
    The real lebanese

    The truth hurts

  4. The real lebanese Avatar
    The real lebanese

    The truth hurts

  5. Just as Assad was empowered by the west, to serve them, Lebanon too is their puppet.

  6. Just as Assad was empowered by the west, to serve them, Lebanon too is their puppet.

  7. 5thDrawer Avatar

    Personally, I think the concept of having or needing a President when there’s also a Prime Minister is one of the worst redundancies of this ‘Confessional’ weird democracy, and one of the reasons it fails in ‘performance’ all the time. If the people vote a majority for a ‘party’ (no matter which band of idiots they choose), then the head of the winning party is the head of state – for it’s term in office. Period.
    Who thinks it’s sensible to elect a dictator on top of that?? (Besides the cost to taxpayers.)
    That, for instance, the French and the Yanks get away with having ‘Presidents’ is that they don’t have Prime Ministers mucking about under their seats.
    Either you have a ‘Parliamentary’ Democracy or you have a ‘Republican’ Democracy, but this ‘Confessional’ stupidity was designed only to stop the MAIN WAR and give the people time to think about how they wanted Lebanon to work FOR them in a democratic manner. Now is past the time to let ‘the people’ decide if they want Lebanon to be a democratic state – with ONE leader elected by the peers who in turn are elected by Citizens.
    Put it to a ‘vote’ by referendum after carefully writing up the options – of what ‘the people’ want – and make sure you write it down so ALL can read it to fully understand it.
    And then if it turns out the majority wish to have a dictatorship, religious or otherwise, and never need to vote again, the HUGE questions of how nutso Lebanese really are will be settled finally, and the rest of the world can then make decisions on where to live and where to vacation. 😉

  8. 5thDrawer Avatar

    Personally, I think the concept of having or needing a President when there’s also a Prime Minister is one of the worst redundancies of this ‘Confessional’ weird democracy, and one of the reasons it fails in ‘performance’ all the time. If the people vote a majority for a ‘party’ (no matter which band of idiots they choose), then the head of the winning party is the head of state – for it’s term in office. Period.
    Who thinks it’s sensible to elect a dictator on top of that?? (Besides the cost to taxpayers.)
    That, for instance, the French and the Yanks get away with having ‘Presidents’ is that they don’t have Prime Ministers mucking about under their seats.
    Either you have a ‘Parliamentary’ Democracy or you have a ‘Republican’ Democracy, but this ‘Confessional’ stupidity was designed only to stop the MAIN WAR and give the people time to think about how they wanted Lebanon to work FOR them in a democratic manner. Now is past the time to let ‘the people’ decide if they want Lebanon to be a democratic state – with ONE leader elected by the peers who in turn are elected by Citizens.
    Put it to a ‘vote’ by referendum after carefully writing up the options – of what ‘the people’ want – and make sure you write it down so ALL can read it.
    And then if it turns out the majority wish to have a dictatorship, religious of otherwise, and never need to vote again, the HUGE questions of how nutso Lebanese really are will be settled finally, and the rest of the world can then make decisions on where to live and where to vacation. 😉

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