The Lebanese parliament plunged to new depths when it turned the first round of voting for a new president into a near-farce. Seven MPs went too far as to vote for dead Lebanese personalities like Danny Chamoun or Rashid Karami, while 52 decided to offer blank papers to ensure that there was no clear result.
The first round of voting gave a large margin to former war criminal Samir Geagea, who gathered 48 votes and would have got more if Druze leader Walid Junblatt had not put up Henri Helou as a last-minute spoiler who got 16 votes.
So all that happened in the first round was to ensure MPs got to extend their period of horse trading as they struggled to grab as much personal and party advantage as possible from the chaotic situation even if Geagea looks increasingly likely to win the vote in the end. Former prime minister Saad Hariri and his Future Party have agreed to support the Geagea candidacy as both are within the March 14 coalition. If Geagea gets the presidency, it is likely that Hariri will seek the prime ministership again as part of a trade-off for his support for Geagea. The only serious opposition they face comes from Hezbollah, which seems willing to back former General Michel Aoun in an attempt to retain its ability to block action in government and parliament and prevent Hariri from regaining power.
Lebanon’s politics is hopelessly sectarian under its 1943 constitution, defined by the National Pact that condemned the country to the following principles: The president will always be a Maronite, the prime minister will be Muslim, the Speaker will be Shiite and the Chief-of-Staff will be Druze. Under this elaborate sectarian jigsaw, it has been easy for different groups to bolster their party advantage, to the great loss of the Lebanese state.
Far too many groups are willing to derail any chance of a decisive government for fear that their local powers will be diminished, which is what is going on right now in the Lebanese parliament.
