Zahrani Power Plant Remains Shut Down Since Sunday
According to L’Orient Today, “Multiple 220-kilowatt electricity stations — which supply several areas in Lebanon, including the southern suburbs of Beirut, Ras Beirut and Saida — have been inoperable since Sunday following a shutdown of the Zahrani power plant.” [L’Orient Today]

FPM Head Characterizes Monday’s Cabinet Session as ‘Unconstitutional’, Signaling Political Shift
According to L’Orient Today, “Gebran Bassil, leader of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), said in a press conference on Tuesday that Monday’s cabinet meeting was ‘unconstitutional, illegal and unconventional,’ threatening that his party could deviate from its ally Hezbollah’s blank vote strategy during presidential electoral sessions in Parliament.” [L’Orient Today]

Qatari Officials Reportedly Backing General Joseph Aoun For President
According to Naharnet, “Qatar has ‘strongly’ waded into the Lebanese presidential file in terms of negotiating with Iran, sources involved in the file said. ‘It had told Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil during his recent presence in Doha that it supports the election as president of Army chief General Joseph Aoun,’ the sources told ad-Diyar newspaper in remarks published Wednesday.” [Naharnet]

Prosecutor Ghada Aoun Publicizes List of Lebanese Depositors with Frozen Swiss Bank Accounts, Walid Jumblatt Files Lawsuit in Response
According to the L’Orient Today “The head of the Progressive Socialist Party Walid Joumblatt on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the public prosecutor at the Mount Lebanon Court of Appeal, Judge Ghada Aoun, after the latter shared a picture of a list of names of individuals whose deposits in Switzerland were allegedly frozen by the United States, PSP MP Bilal Abdallah confirmed to L’Orient Today. The shared list included Joumblatt’s name.” [L’Orient Today]

Houssari writes, “The Free Patriotic Movement’s anger over caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati convening a Cabinet session on Monday led to a shakeup in the relationship between the party and its ally, Hezbollah.
FPM head Gebran Bassil, in a press conference on Tuesday, expressed anger over ‘expanded decentralization, even without laws.’ Hezbollah and the Amal Movement provided political cover for Mikati to convene a Cabinet session to approve the process of securing medicines for dialysis and cancer patients, which Mikati deems an absolute necessity. The FPM refuses to hold any Cabinet session in light of the presidential vacuum in order to prevent Mikati from exercising the powers of the Christian president, especially since the movement believes the caretaker government has no right to play this role. As the country experiences a devastating economic crisis, eight attempts by Lebanon’s divided parliament to elect a president have failed after the term of President Micael Aoun ended over a month ago.”

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Assaf writes, “Scandals in public administration are one after another. After last month’s corruption case at the Vehicle Registration Center, in which dozens of employees were arrested, a new Pandora’s box is opening in broad daylight, this time in Mount Lebanon. For nearly two weeks, the Mount Lebanon prosecution at the Court of Appeal has been examining information about embezzlement perpetrated by employees of the land department, especially in Baabda and Metn, who reportedly amassed huge sums through bribes taken from taxpayers. With the help of security services, prosecutors are collecting evidence that would enable them to arrest employees and brokers.”

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