DAILY NEWS
Parliament Session Delayed After Power Cut
Lebanese lawmakers gathered at UNESCO Palace today to review Prime Minister Miqait’s policy statement before a vote of confidence is held this evening. A power outage delayed the meeting, and it took about 40 minutes for the electricity to come back on. [AP] The new government’s draft program intends to renew and further develop a previous financial recovery plan. [Reuters]
WHO Director-General Warns Lebanon’s Health Sector is Crumbling
Yesterday World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom said that nearly 40 percent of Lebanon’s skilled medical doctors and 30 percent of registered nurses have left the country either permanently or temporarily. Dr. Adhanom’s statement comes at the conclusion of a two-day visit to Beirut. He emphasized the deterioration of Lebanon’s health sector made worse by fuel shortages. [The 961]
Prime Minister Miqati’s Interview with CNN
On Friday, Prime Minister Najib Miqati participated in an interview with CNN in which he urged the Lebanese people to trust the new government as it seeks to quickly address the country’s economic crises. He added, “I’m going to do the quick fixes that (need) to be done immediately, especially energy, education, work, and transparency, and show the Lebanese that there is a governance.” [CNN]
OPINION & ANALYSIS
Carnegie Middle East Center
An Unlikely Savior
Michael Young
Young writes, “The recent formation of Lebanon’s government provoked a minor revolution in how the Taif agreement of 1989, which served as a basis for amending the Lebanese constitution in 1990, will be interpreted from now on. The agent of change is President Michel Aoun…It’s difficult to approve of a head of state who advances his interests through the suffering of his people, yet nothing in what Aoun has done is constitutionally illegitimate. By granting the president signature power over the decree forming the government, the constitution handed the presidency immense leverage. That Aoun chose to use it should come as no surprise, given the almost insulting role reserved for his predecessors, who were mostly potted plants when governments were being devised.”
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.