Beirut: Lebanese Prime Minister Tamam Salam may resign on Wednesday, a senior government source told Gulf News. The possible resignation is due to intractable differences within the government and if it happens it will deal a serious blow to the ongoing political deadlock in the country. However, the posts of several important military and security officers will be extended, the source affirmed.
The terms of Walid Salman (Army Chief of Staff), Edmond Fadel (Chief of Army Intelligence) and General Jean Qahwaji (Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces) would be extended due to the highly sensitive and volatile security situation in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, in an interview with the daily Al Safir, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said he would not vote for the head of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), Michel Aoun, as president.
While Aoun enjoys the backing of Shiite Hezbollah, and Berri himself is a Shiite, the parliament speaker exposed Aoun’s hypocrisy.
“Aoun considers the parliament an illegitimate institution, but he wants the parliament to elect him as president,” he said.
“I do not accept this logic and I refuse to vote in whoever tells me I am illegitimate,” he added.
The election, in Berri’s view, was being held hostage by foreign actors, alluding to Iranian interference.
Lebanon has been without a president for over a year. Michel Sulaiman completed his presidential term on May 24, 2014. Parliamentary elections were canceled in May 2013 and the incumbent parliament was granted a 17-month long tenure.
In November 2014, the parliament granted itself another extension until June 20, 2017 which would give the current parliament a whopping 31-month tenure.
The last parliamentary elections were held in 2009.
