Aoun admits that Lebanon is run by a “mafia”

 Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun  admitted  that Lebanon is run by a mafia as he expressed frustration over the political wrangling in Lebanon.

“I am fed up,” Aoun said in an interview with As-Safir newspaper published Friday, a day after he threatened to take “explosive” measures against the Cabinet for passing a “non-consensual” agenda item.

He said he was being targeted, and vowed to “engage in a confrontation with the Cabinet.”

“I am fighting to enforce reforms and (Christian) rights, that’s why they are all against me,” the FPM chief said.

“[Thursday’s] Cabinet session was a real test to the relation with the other factions,” he said, rejecting the “mounting violations” in the absence of the head of state.

However, Aoun said that his party ministers “will not resign from the government,” but they will not stand still either and simply do nothing.

He said his call for the election of a new head of state in two rounds is “the best democratic practice in the world.”

“According to the National Pact, sects are entitled to name the candidates for state posts,” he said.

Aoun had proposed in May four options to solve the presidential crisis, one of them being the election of a president directly by the people in two rounds of voting, first by Christians only ( to pick 2 candidates  ) , and then by all Lebanese citizens.

“The Sunnis get to name the premier… the Shiites name the speaker… why doesn’t this rule apply to the Maronite president?” Aoun wondered.

But the Sunni premier is picked by the president , who is a Christian .

Aoun expressed pessimism over the political deadlock in the country, noting that the “horizon is locked… They refuse to hear our complaints as if they want us to pack our bags and leave.”

More divisions emerged when the Cabinet convened its first session in a month Thursday.

The session was marred by heated arguments as ministers from the FPM, Hezbollah and the Tashnag Party argued that no agenda items should be discussed until security appointments were made. Other ministers maintained that no one had the right to dictate the session’s agenda.

Aoun denied that he had a personal dispute with Army Commander Gen. Jean Kahwaji, “but I have objections on his performance  .”

Aoun reportedly  wants his son-in-law Commando Regiment chief Brig. Gen. Chamel Roukoz to be appointed army chief.

Roukoz’s tenure ends in October 2015 while the term of army commander Gen. Jean Kahwaji expires at the end of September.

Aoun’s other son-in-law Gebran Bassil is the Foreign minister

Aoun along with his Hezbollah allies have been preventing the election of a president

The Lebanese parliament failed  on June 24  and  for the  25th   time in a row to elect a president to replace Michel Suleiman whose term ended on May 25.

As in the past sessions the parliament was unable to reach a quorum because the Iranian backed Hezbollah militant group and Aoun’s Change and Reform bloc MPs boycotted the sessions.