Miqati's Govt. Wins Confidence Vote after Opposition MPs Walk Out
Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s government on Thursday won a vote of confidence in parliament, after opposition MPs walked out en masse moments before the vote.
Miqati's government secured 68 out of a possible 128 votes in parliament, where Hizbullah and its allies hold a slight majority.
During the vote, opposition MPs Robert Ghanem and Imad al-Hout remained in the parliament hall but abstained from voting.
Lebanese Democratic Party leader MP Talal Arslan, who is a member of the parliamentary majority, did not attend the session.
Arslan had resigned as state minister from Miqati’s cabinet hours after its line-up was announced in protest at the fact that he was not granted a key portfolio.
Meanwhile, MPs Nicolas Fattoush and Michel Murr, who were allied with the opposition during the 2009 parliamentary elections, granted the government their votes of confidence.
"The government confirms it will continue the path of the (Special) Tribunal (for Lebanon) ... and continue to cooperate in this regard as per the U.N. Security Council Resolution which set up the tribunal to see justice served," Miqati said ahead of the vote.
Last week, the U.N.-backed STL issued an indictment in the assassination of former premier Rafik Hariri and ordered the arrest of four Hizbullah members over the murder.
Commenting on the opposition’s walkout ahead of the vote, Speaker Nabih Berri said: “It is their democratic right if this is their choice.”
Asked by an MTV reporter after their walkout of the session whether they were satisfied with the premier’s response to their speeches, opposition MPs said Miqati’s statement was “unconvincing.”
“This is democracy and what’s important is that we have gained the confidence” of the parliament, Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat, for his part, said after the session.
Thursday's vote capped three days of parliamentary talks on the government's Policy Statement, which had triggered a heated debate between the majority and the opposition, led by former premier Saad Hariri.
Hariri did not attend Thursday's session.
Miqati's policy statement includes an ambiguously worded clause stipulating that Lebanon will "respect" international resolutions as long as they do not threaten peace and stability.
But the opposition had demanded he state his government was "committed" to the U.N.-backed STL.
The Netherlands-based court has for years been at the center of an intractable political feud in Lebanon.
"I am following my conscience, my ethics, my loyalty to (slain) prime minister Rafik Hariri," Miqati said when interrupted by a member of the opposition, prompting a round of applause from the audience.
Miqati was appointed prime minister on January 25 with the blessing of Hizbullah.
After five months of wrangling, Miqati announced the formation of a 30-seat government in which Hizbullah and its allies control 18 seats, including the key justice and telecommunications ministries.
The Hizbullah-led alliance on January 12 pulled its ministers from Saad Hariri's unity government when he refused to end all cooperation with the STL, forcing its collapse.
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has slammed the STL as a U.S.-Israeli conspiracy and last week said he doubted the four Hizbullah members wanted by the court would ever be found.
Among the four is Mustafa Badreddine, brother-in-law of top Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyeh, who was assassinated in a 2008 explosion in Damascus.
Badreddine is suspected of having masterminded the February 14, 2005 Beirut bombing that killed Hariri and 22 others.
almost 13 years
God protects our new functioning government and parliament, were elected politicians write, debate, amend and pass laws and then wait for the Iranian appointed Supreme leader to give the final Yea or Nay the way it ought to be.
almost 13 years
Out they go and nobody felt a difference! The Party and the party are both over. Lebanon's long-awaited Spring is now reality. Decent Lebanese, REJOICE.
almost 13 years
Now the government will be judges based on its actions and performance and if it will in fact work for all Lebanese . . . .
I wish Lebanon peace, stability and prosperity!
almost 13 years
Judged that is :)
almost 13 years
Thumbs UP this comment if you DO GIVE the vote of confidence.
Thumbs DOWN this comment if you DO NOT GIVE the vote of confidence.
almost 13 years
http://images.naharnet.com/images/9485/w460.jpg?1310051635
I hope they'll be happy together and have many many beautiful children
almost 13 years
So now the thieves, traitors and criminals are officially "the Lebanese government". Brace yourselves for the coming storm...
almost 13 years
Opposition walked out and 60 out of the 128 refused to support the government. If they were afraid of HA weapons, how can they do that? The only threat the Lebanese people have is America's military, political, and economic support of the terror state of Israel. But, that does not scare them.
almost 13 years
Cannanite, the LEBANESE PEOPLE whose MAJORITY ALWAYS VOTED FOR M8 make the decision. Not 2 hands full of unknown persons (mostly Israelis) do on Naharnet where anti Lebanese ZIONIST REPUBLICAN PAID PROSTITUTES ARE ADVERTISED!
almost 13 years
Storm? What storm? Let us all act democratically...congrats to the new government...finally a PM that talks about working to improve the regular Lebanese quality of life...and that doesn't worry solely about how to fill out his pockets...believe it for a bit...give it a chance...because we will all take benefit from it...how many people of your family are living abroad??? You probably are as well....don't you dream of finally getting a Lebanon stable and prosper??? Give it chance...that's the last thing we got to all all together.
almost 13 years
This is not a cabinet, but rather a war committee...
almost 13 years
Mabrouk and congratulations to all Lebanese .
Sincere Condolences to the " bad " losers in the very small and little opposition that has no leader . The suppose leader of thet opposition is hiding in Paris !!! That's called a Saudi Democracy ..
almost 13 years
A fake democracy and M14 are not to be blamed, its is the Lebanese people and their followers that are to be blamed for allowing Lebanon to go back to the Syrian/Iranian occupation. Lebanon has lost its image as a democracy not that we ever had one, we had something fake called a lawless banana republic, and even that we gonna loose it now to become a dictatorship run by religious freaks and mullah!
not bad, lets see if Aoun will be able to show his secular state and kick religion out of the politics, All what Aoun stands for is now FAKE. Hezbollah run the game, and they are not modern neither ready to accept to rule the country with the rest, The leaders of Hezbollah are proving every minute how guilty they are since they are still trying to make the STL look like crap!
Shame Miqati is a good guy but sooner or later he will clash with Hezbollah, dont worry this alliance of Aoun and Hezbollah won't last longer, since the followers of Aoun will suffocate by Hezbollah!
almost 13 years
now their mafia and militia will be legal! yeepeeeeeee!
let s see now how many newspapers or tv will be shut down!
almost 13 years
Lebanon cannot gain from fighting the STL! even if they proove it is israeili, they should have sent the 4 guys to court and played by the rules. International justice lets remember cannot be pro one party on the rest.
Justice if it was fake as they claim, would have not been agreed at the UN by Russia, China.
The real deal now is that the vengance is taking over the eyes of aoun and hezbollah, they will not build the country, not on democracy. they will isolate us more and soon we will have a mini syrian regime, media will fail, freedoms are gonna get more lost. and on top it, forget your gemmayze and downtown people, tourism will die, and not to forget that we are gonna be isolated on the international scale.
You know when i say am from Lebanon: first reply is, so how is it now there, still war? This is our reputation for 6.5 billion people, this fight is not about M14 or M8 , its about how you want Lebanon? pro west or pro east! a freedom or a dictatorship, time will Tell.
almost 13 years
The Hezb Ebola government headed by the fall guy the Syrian regime's stooge Mikati has to be opposed at all levels. Criminals should not be part of the government they should be behind bars. I personally think that M14 were way too soft and trusting of the Syrio-Iranian criminal camp (so called M8). The Hezbollah government of Mikati will never hand over the criminals but of course STL will relentlessly seek justice come what may. The only thing that this desperate silly move by the criminal Iranian subordinate Hezb Ebola and its slaves (Mikati, Aoun, Jumblat...) will achieve is drag more polticians down with Hez Ebola namely Mikati, Aou, Jumblat.... In other words Hezb Ebola decided that if it's finally gonna be caught red handed it might as well take down with it as many of the other stooges in its camp as possible. JUSTICE WILL BE SERVED IN THE END ...!!!!
almost 13 years
Weak, scared or opportunist politicians have allowed Hezbollah to erode the lebanese sovereignty and to usurp the fragile lebanese democracy.
Lebanon is dragged again to world isolation along with the Iranian and syrian regimes.
It is shameful to say that the only hope for the Lebanese salvation might come from the bravery of the Syrian opposition!
almost 13 years
At least hasish and Cocain will now be legal
almost 13 years
Youseff, the only country that is isolated is the Terror state of Israel and its sponsor the USA. The only thing the Syrian opposition ever supported the Assad regime on was the Syrian regime's support for the Lebanese resistance. Off course, you never read that in any of the Zionist magazines. Can you name any top Syrian opposition leaders?
Your country the USA is the most hated country in Lebanon and all the Arab (mostly Sunni) world only after Israel which without its support , Israel would not exist. By the way what happened to all the NewCon's in America? The Americans are being chased out all over the world.
almost 13 years
Again, it seems our fate is in Damascus but this time not by the syrian regime but by it's opposition and brave people!
Dark times ahead for our nation, and the only responsible ones are the Lebanese. They play all the time with power and change camps and switch sides and stab each other in the back that the world had enough of them. We are now under the mercy of the Iranian regime and we are the one that brought it, by letting all these armed militia's take control.
Did u all think that the civil war is over? The fight between the sects on their power was never over. as long as allah or allah is involved in each days politics and as long as these old rotten war lords are in power, the game will go on and the one will pay are me and you and each young lebanese that simply packed his bag and left or simply is dying t get a visa and exit!
Or the young followers blinded by hearing the same talk over and over by their religious political leader!
almost 13 years
Each day, i understand Jubran khalil Jubran when he said You have your Lebanon and i have mine.
I read this a while ago in a book i got from Lebanon, it was amazing about how history never ends or simply keeps repeating itself in lebanon.
It starts as Lebanon during 1870 by W.M.Thomson Protestant minister, published in 1870
text goes as : Lebanon has about 400.000 inhabitants gathered into more than six hundreds towns,villages and hamlets? the various religions and sects live together ...but the people do not coalesce into one homogeneous community nor do they regard each other with fraternal feelings. The sunnites excommunicate the shiites! both hate the drze, and all the tree detest the Nusariyeh. The maronites have no particular love for anybody and in turn are disliked by all. The greeks cannot endure the greek catholics and al despise the jews. there is no common bond of union.... and you can continue reading
http://img593.imageshack.us/i/kuvao.jpg
So history repeats itself!
almost 13 years
The power of the Racist WHITE man (persons of European heritage) who make up less than 15% of the world population (and is decreasing) is fading away. Even in many of the Western countries, will have a majority population of persons of color in a few decades. The future belongs to people of color who will have the power in the world. Western policies toward the middle east will have to be adjusted if they do not want to be isolated.
I wonder if the people of color will treat the WHITE man (persons of European Heritage) the way the White man have treated persons of color in the last 500 years?
almost 13 years
Welcome to The ZOO, from the March 8, Syrian Bootlickers,
Comming soon, FREE ELECTRICITY!!!!
almost 13 years
NEW?? What's new about it?? Who is new??
Berri is not new... Mikati is not new... Hexbollah ministers are not new...imBASSIL is not new, Sleiman Frangieh is not new...Jumblat is not new...etc, etc, etc...
Helloooooo...!!!!
almost 13 years
So...
Let's grow beards!
Let's stop drinking booz!
No more bikini commercials on our bilboards!
Women...stay home!
Do I have to get a turban...?
No more US productions in our movie theaters?
Deffinitely still no EDL bills from Dahieh to Hezb land...
What else? What is this crap gvt goibg to be like??
At least there is a functioning government / parliament now!