A Lebanese parliamentary session scheduled for Thursday will be a formality following the departure of President Michel Aoun on Monday night, as senior leaders hold background negotiations to find his successor and end a widening leadership vacuum.
Before his departure from the Baabda presidential palace on Sunday, Mr Aoun signed a decree recognising the resignation of the current Cabinet. He also sent a letter to parliament notifying them of the government’s resignation.
In the letter, Mr Aoun called on parliament to “take the necessary measures or decisions to prevent things from deviating in a direction that is not in the interest of the country”.
The letter also called for caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to resign, stating that he is “uninterested” in forming a new government.
But the present government had already gone into caretaker status following Lebanon’s May 15 parliamentary elections.
Although parliament could technically dismiss the prime minister with a two-thirds vote, Mr Aoun’s last-minute decree means little, said constitutional expert Wissam Lahham.
Parliament is not constitutionally permitted to designate another prime minister. Only a president can do so.
“Aoun demanded that we should take away the premiership from Mikati but of course they can’t choose another premier when there is no president any more,” Mr Lahham said. “They can’t do anything. Of course, the government will continue as it is.”
Meanwhile, it is unclear who will take the presidential reins from Mr Aoun. Lebanon’s deeply divided parliament has failed to agree on a successor.
“No other topic [beyond Mr Aoun’s letter] will be on the agenda,” a source with knowledge of the matter told The National, confirming that Thursday’s session will not be to elect a president.
The strangely timed decree recognising the resignation of Mr Mikati’s government has raised eyebrows.
The decree “was issued on a date that raises controversy”, Mr Lahham said.
A parliamentary source said the decree, combined with Mr Aoun’s letter to parliament, was a common strategy on the part of the departing president.
“President Aoun during his mandate sent three or four letters to the parliament and every time when he failed to do something, he tried to throw the ball to parliament’s court,” the source said.
Confessional politics
Deciding on Lebanon’s next president is normally a drawn-out affair — in 2016, it took 46 sessions and 29 months to elect Mr Aoun, whose ascendancy came after a series of backdoor deals between key players.
In the country’s confessional system, the presidency is always held by a Maronite Christian, the parliamentary speaker a Shiite Muslim and the prime minister a Sunni Muslim.
Now those backdoor discussions are once again under way as political factions seek a consensus candidate.
“Speaker [Nabih] Berri is trying to call for a dialogue to try to bridge the gaps between the various groups in the parliament,” the source said.
Two thirds of the vote in the 128-seat parliament is needed for a presidential candidate to secure a win in the first round of voting. An absolute majority is required in subsequent rounds.
After four sessions, Michel Moawad is the only person to receive any significant support, but he is seen as too divisive to get the required votes. His support — 39 votes in the most recent session — has consistently been outnumbered by blank ballots. It is not known when the next presidential session will be held.
Lebanon is no stranger to presidential vacuums, but forging on with no president and no fully empowered government is a first in the nation's history.
There are fears that the vacuum will hinder attempts to enact desperately needed reforms to support Lebanon's economic recovery.
A financial collapse that first became apparent in 2019 has been described by the World Bank as one of the worst in modern history and has plunged the majority of the population into poverty.
The local currency has lost more than 95 per cent of its value and there are widespread shortages in basic essentials, including clean water, electricity, bread and medicines.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Summer special
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Hydrogen: Market potential
Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.
"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.
Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
Size: Two employees
Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
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THE SPECS
Engine: AMG-enhanced 3.0L inline-6 turbo with EQ Boost and electric auxiliary compressor
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 429hp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh360,200 (starting)
RESULT
Esperance de Tunis 1 Guadalajara 1
(Esperance won 6-5 on penalties)
Esperance: Belaili 38’
Guadalajara: Sandoval 5’
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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Ukraine
Capital: Kiev
Population: 44.13 million
Armed conflict in Donbass
Russia-backed fighters control territory
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
