Finance Committee Passes 2022 Budget The Chairman of the Lebanese Parliament’s Finance and Budget Committee, MP Ibrahim Kanaan (FPM/Metn), announced today that the committee passed the 2022 budget and sent it to the full Parliament, after the Cabinet approved it in February and submitted it to the committee. [L’Orient Today]
President Aoun Addresses Potential Political Crisis Surrounding Presidency After a meeting with the Lebanese President Michel Aoun, the head of the Maronite League Khalil Karam said, “Contrary to what is being rumored, President Aoun will commit to the constitution’s stipulations regarding the date of the end of his term, but at the same time he does not believe that (a government) that lacks the full standards as well as parliament’s confidence can fill vacuum at the level of the head of the state . . . Accordingly, Mr. President believes that the formation of a new government should remain among the priorities, and he will continue to work for achieving that while relying on the constitution and seeking to preserve national partnership and balance among authorities.” [Naharnet]
Underwater Recovery Effort Finds Capsized Boat After a boat bound for Italy, carrying dozens of Lebanese, Palestinians, and Syrians, sank last April, a recovery effort involving a submarine crew was launched this week. The crew found the boat several miles off the coast of Tripoli at a depth of 459 meters. [L’Orient Today]
UNICEF Publishes New Report on Deprived Childhoods in Lebanon “A UNICEF report shows that much of the progress towards achieving children’s basic rights – including the right to health, education, protection, play and recreation – has been eroded by the economic crisis and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic . . . The report, based on a UNICEF study on child poverty and a child-focused rapid assessment (CFRA), shows that children are keenly aware of the effect the crisis is having on their lives and on the country. Many no longer dream of a better future in Lebanon and believe emigration is their only hope.”
Deputy PM Urges Approval of Capital Controls Law According to Naharnet, a political source close to the cabinet formation issue in Lebanon said, “If the government is not formed this week, it will be totally impossible to form it after that, because the country will enter next week in the 60-day constitutional deadline for the election of a new president, and the country will remain governed by a caretaker cabinet,” as the ongoing negotiations between President Michel Aoun and PM-designate Najib Mikati have reportedly not advanced. [Naharnet]
OPINION & ANALYSIS
Arab News Lebanon Yet To Form Government As Countdown To Presidential Election Begins Najia Houssari
Houssari writes, “A meeting between Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati on Wednesday ended without any indication that a new government might soon be formed. Aoun’s term ends on Oct. 1 and the constitutional deadline for electing his replacement begins on Sept. 1. But with a successor yet to be determined concerns are rising about the possibility of a presidential vacuum. Talks on forming a government have been suspended for several weeks because of tensions between Mikati and the head of the Free Patriotic Movement party Gibran Bassil over the selection of ministers and their political affiliations, and the FPM’s demand for a “blocking third” in government.”
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the American Task Force on Lebanon, a non-profit, nonpartisan leadership organization of Lebanese-Americans.
