Saniora Says al-Mustaqbal Wants Polls to be Held on Time to Get Rid of Hizbullah, Syria
Al-Mustaqbal bloc leader Fouad Saniora said Wednesday the parliamentary elections should be held on time to prevent Hizbullah and the Syrian regime from keeping their stranglehold on Lebanon.
In a televised statement on the eve of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's 8th assassination anniversary, Saniora said: “We insist on holding the elections on time to renew the trust in Lebanon and to achieve democratic change to get rid of this group that is keeping its stranglehold on Lebanon's economy and preventing its development.”
He also said the polls are the only means that would salvage the country from Hizbullah's “arms and its allies beyond Lebanon's border.”
Saniora reiterated his rejection of the so-called Orthodox Gathering proposal, saying it harms the social fabric.
He said al-Mustaqbal is ready to discuss any proposal that guarantees the fair representation of all the Lebanese, a day after the bloc made a new suggestion on a hybrid draft-law that calls for 70 percent of MPs to be elected under the winner-takes-all system and the rest under the proportional representation system.
The toppling of the national unity cabinet of ex-Premier Saad Hariri in January 2011 was the result of the black coup against the public will and the outcome of the last elections in 2009 that had brought March 14 to power, he said.
Saniora cited the achievements made when he and Hariri were in power, saying there was good economic progress despite the series of assassinations of March 14 opposition figures since Rafik Hariri's Feb. 2005 murder, the 2006 Israel-Hizbullah war and the obstruction of the government's work by Hizbullah-led parties.
He said the March 14 alliance was able to drive Syrian forces out of the country if the aftermath of Hariri's assassination, it conducted a huge reconstruction operation after the 2006 war through Arab assistance and the army regained its natural role on the international border assisted by U.N. peacekeepers.
March 14 has also held onto the Taef agreement and sovereignty, it won the elections twice and was capable of establishing the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, he said.
“The past days were difficult over the control of the de facto powers. But we hold onto our convictions and hold onto our country and its unity,” he said.
“We will continue to fight in defense of the principles that Hariri was killed for,” Saniora said, adding that the former premier “remains in our minds and souls.”
Four Hizbullah members have been named suspects by the STL in the Beirut truck bombing that killed Hariri whom Saniora described as “the person who contributed to salvaging and reconstructing Lebanon.”
Hizbullah denies the charges and has refused to hand over the suspects.
But Saniora said that the assassins “failed to destroy Hariri's presence” stressing they “will be brought to justice.”
The former prime minister stressed in his statement that March 14 holds onto coexistence, democracy and freedoms, independence, the Taef accord and the sovereignty of state institutions.
12 years
"once again i'm blown away"....correction fagblower..."once again i blow away" is what you honestly meant you deranged schizo FARSI. lololol
12 years
without a shot being fired FT? what happened on May7...ghabi.
12 years
FlameThrower - Nice stories. Where did you get your sources from: OTV?
"the spineless majority got evicted from the cabinet without a shot being fired"
Thanks God there is one side that cares about the country. We know that M8 has no problem with initiating coups and using its militia.
12 years
Sorry --- Militias
12 years
Mowaten.. jumblat is more m14 than the mostaqbal bloc.. and you of all people should know that it was the political reality and his safe guarding of the druze that made him leave...
FT..you say m14 won the last election and it was because they were spineless that they lost it.. and bad faith will keep us from coexisting.. was it bad faith that m14 gave m8 the obstructing third? was it bad faith that they left the "people-army-resistance formula in the ministerial declaration? if anything all that was good faith and a hand reached out.. one that m8 spat on.. so dont talk about spineless when one group is armed and has the fighting infrastructure and the other just has ak-47s.. dont talk about bad faith because that is all m8 is loaded with.
12 years
how he changed his mind: Sulaiman calls for consultations on electing a new prime minister and then postpones said consultations when it appeared that Jumblatt will still re-elect Saad... postponed them enough for the black shirts to make a statement and let him know whats what... democratically of coarse...lol...thats when he changed positions again for safe guarding the druze... he is more m14 when talking about the principles of m14.. not necessarily the people in the alliance.. apparently the electricity ma2too3a to the bulb in your head..
12 years
Hariri was a thief ...
~Hariri was considered as the principal actor in the widespread corruption that plagued Lebanon during the Syrian occupation. His wealth grew from less than $1 billion when he was appointed prime minister in 1992, to over $16 billion when he died. wiki
~He is mainly credited with the widespread corruption that followed the war and the crippling damages done to the economy, with the public debt rising from $2.5 billion to over $40 billion and economic growth slowing from 8% to –1% during his time as prime minister. wiki
12 years
mckinl, ya hableh..you are an idiot...can you for once stick to the subject at hand and stop your venomous attacks and cheap lies...
12 years
Yeah right ... another Prime Minister like Rafic Hariri and Lebanon will be worse off than Somalia ...
12 years
mckinl is fagblowers sister....leave the idiot alone. She does not know better.
12 years
@ bigsami
Nice photo of yourself ...
12 years
FARSI fagblower Motormouty found a friend....how cute. Mustool!
12 years
@ bigsami Nice photo of yourself ...
You can do better than that...can't you? Mustool
12 years
I think your photo is a fabulous rendition of your character ...
12 years
wow mckinl (mcprick)....your outdoing yourself dude.Don't strain that warped brain....you may get a headache.
12 years
When your little general and his master Hassoun are under ground that will a day for TRUE celebration and the beginning of freedom and progress for Lebanon...
12 years
allouchi ya boulouchi keep dreaming!
ma ente mtayssin w ze3lenin,
Ehhh wa3ta bado yege el sunni wahhabi its gonna be the end of the freedom and progress for Lebanon...
ahhhh leymounehamda
12 years
Amen.
12 years
Orthodox wa bass. Alah ma3ak ya mejrim. 1-way ticket to Roumieh. Yalla renovations are nearly complete. Soon you will accommodating your Salafist Wahabi friends and rot in jail like you deserve after stealing the wealth of the nation and weaking the Christian presence in the country. Your days are over you criminal. You & your AL-Mustaqbal Party did more harm to Lebanon than the Turks did in 400 years! 1-way ticket to hell.
12 years
very good words Joseph
12 years
The only one who harmed the christian presence in Lenanon is your failed criminal orange corporal.
12 years
The only one who harmed the christian presence in Lebanon is your failed criminal orange corporal.
12 years
If it wasn't for AL-Mustaqbal and allies, Lebanon will still be in the stone ages...go check your fabricated history...
12 years
leymounehamda they stole 55 billions of dollars and they want to empty evrything!
12 years
hey chucky, any proof? talk is cheap...
12 years
Hariri was the thief that bankrupted Lebanon and turned it into a third world country.
~ His wealth grew from less than $1 billion when he was appointed prime minister in 1992, to over $16 billion when he died.
~ He is mainly credited with the widespread corruption that followed the war and the crippling damages done to the economy, with the public debt rising from $2.5 billion to over $40 billion ...
starsky ... How can you venerate the biggest thief in the history of Lebanon?
12 years
Please provide proof!
When Hariri tried to fire public employees because they accepted bribary, he was prevented from doing so.
Yes - every project in Lebanon had a tax on it in the form of money that had to be paid to Syrian overlords and other political players. In addition, the biggest source of deficit for the government (1-1.5 billion dollars a year) has been and continue to be Electricity. We all know why some areas have very low collection rates while others almost everyone pays.
Also Lebanon just came out of a devestating war, so there was a huge reconstruction bill to pay. Also, at the time of Hariri, public employees were able to earn a livable wage.
12 years
look there was never a clean politician.. and harriri i am sure lined his pocket as did berri to mention one out of the many that now form the ranks of both m8 and m14... but he is the only one who improved the tourism sector and gave something back.. he is the only one who sent people from ALL sects to university and provided them with an education.. he might not be the second coming of Christ but he is 100 time better than ANY politician out there .. so stop your hating..
12 years
Please ... We see Future claiming Syria to be the devil but it was Hariri stealing Lebanon blind ...
12 years
True until the syrians put their feet in Lebanon.
12 years
Ismak ala kasmak !
12 years
Starsky ... That's cute coming from the man who worships Hariri the thief that looted his own country ... Lebanon.
12 years
saniora the rightfull representation of christians or bust
12 years
If the elections are held, M8 will lose. Therefore, elections will not be held on time. That's my opinion of what looms ahead.
12 years
My apologies to all (other than these conditioned fools that worship terrorists that have destroyed our beloved Lebanon)....it is not my character to be offensive on some of my posts. But at times, these regressed religious fanatics are too much to bear and need to know there no place for their kind in a civilized society.
12 years
Case and point....Starfag has spoken!
12 years
FYI....and for the record.....You, Fagblower aka Motormouth do not constitute "people". So blow it our your DERRIERE....something I'm sure you enjoy!
12 years
lol
12 years
title is badly translated. If you read it in arabic, sinioura does not want "to get rid" of hezbollah. he wants to "get rid of the grip of HA and syria" Lots of difference Naharnet. fix the translation
12 years
true sidon, this mekdad episode was probably the blackest of lebanon's postwar history in my view. But this is over now, and wont return.
12 years
I love it. The American plan is working. Only Lebanese are stupid enough to fall for it. Keep on arguing. The Americans are using Sunni-Shiaa divisions to keep the Middle East weak and steal its resources. They are playing all of us like a fiddle. They used Saddam to fight Iran and than turned Iraq into a war zone. Now they are using the Salafis to wage war against Iran. Lebanon is a 4th world country. The world has moved ahead and here we are, brothers and sisters spewing our hate against each other, while Americans and Israelis are getting fatter at our expense. I feel so sad to think that such a proud nation, and a beautiful one to boot has fallen into this abyss of hatred. I love all of u
12 years
Mafia Mustaqbal wants a kick in the butt, thrown in jail for a lonnnnnnnng time and then hanged in Centre Ville to be pissed on by passersby. Get rid of Hizbullah, huh! "To the polls" call the crooks, thieves and collaborators with every enemy of Lebanon. They have not done enough already!
Hola,
Today is Miércoles de Ceniza, not 14th Feb. happy fasting to everyone concerned.