Gebran Bassil on Sunday accused Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri of sidelining President Michel Aoun, the country’s highest Christian official, in choosing his future ministers.
The process stalled since the appointment two months ago of Mr Hariri to the premiership for the fourth time, as sectarian leaders disagree on their ministerial share of the next Cabinet.
"Why is Saad Hariri assuming that he can nominate Christian ministers on behalf of the resident and Christians? We are not second-class citizens," Mr Bassil said in a televised speech.
An MP and former minister, Mr Bassil, 50, leads the Free Patriotic Movement, founded by his father-in-law, Mr Aoun.
It is Hezbollah’s biggest Christian ally and the largest party in parliament.
Mr Bassil's speech followed one this week by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and a TV interview Druze leader Walid Joumblatt.
Sectarian leaders have evaded responsibility for the stalled government formation, choosing instead to embroil themselves in disputes as the country plunges further into crisis.
But a new, clean government capable of enacting reforms is necessary for Lebanon to gain access to debt relief and international loans.
“The prime minister-designate does not consult us because we did not endorse him and he says he does not want to anger his allies,” said Mr Bassil, insisting that the FPM did not want to play a role in the next government.
"But he consults Hezbollah and expects it to send names for future ministers."
Hezbollah, the FPM and their Christian rivals the Lebanese Forces, did not endorse Mr Hariri’s bid for the premiership.
But the militant group and its Shiite ally – the Amal Movement – are insisting on nominating Lebanon’s future finance minister.
In Lebanon’s power-sharing system, the president must be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni and the Speaker of parliament a Shiite.
Ministerial portfolios are not assigned to specific sects.
The quotas were meant to promote shared decision-making after 15 years of civil war that ended in 1990, but the system has been accused by pro-reform activists of promoting nepotism and corruption.
Lebanon has been run by a caretaker government since August, when Hassan Diab resigned as prime minister after a deadly blast at Beirut port, compounding an economic crisis.
Mr Hariri succeeded him a year after a mass protest movement against corruption, sectarian politics and foreign meddling forced him to resign.
Mr Bassil was criticised by Lebanese demonstrators, who took to the streets last year to demand reform.
They regard him as a sectarian leader with ambitions for the presidency, an ambition now compromised by US sanctions imposed on him for corruption in November.
Mr Bassil's opponents accuse him of having forged an alliance with Hezbollah and of warming to the Syrian regime to succeed his father-in-law as president.
He has refused to give up his alliance with the militant group although he said the FPM and Hezbollah would launch a dialogue to reassess their partnership.
He has championed “Christian rights", which he says are under threat from Syrian refugees, to whom he refers as “migrants” and “foreigners”.
Why the Tourist Club?
Originally, The Club (which many people chose to call the “British Club”) was the only place where one could use the beach with changing rooms and a shower, and get refreshments.
In the early 1970s, the Government of Abu Dhabi wanted to give more people a place to get together on the beach, with some facilities for children. The place chosen was where the annual boat race was held, which Sheikh Zayed always attended and which brought crowds of locals and expatriates to the stretch of beach to the left of Le Méridien and the Marina.
It started with a round two-storey building, erected in about two weeks by Orient Contracting for Sheikh Zayed to use at one these races. Soon many facilities were planned and built, and members were invited to join.
Why it was called “Nadi Al Siyahi” is beyond me. But it is likely that one wanted to convey the idea that this was open to all comers. Because there was no danger of encountering alcohol on the premises, unlike at The Club, it was a place in particular for the many Arab expatriate civil servants to join. Initially the fees were very low and membership was offered free to many people, too.
Eventually there was a skating rink, bowling and many other amusements.
Frauke Heard-Bey is a historian and has lived in Abu Dhabi since 1968.
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
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Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Cologne v Union Berlin (5.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Hertha Berlin v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Freiburg (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Borussia Monchengladbach (8.30pm)
Sunday
Mainz v Augsburg (5.30pm)
Schalke v Bayer Leverkusen (8pm)
THURSDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY
Centre Court
Starting at 10am:
Lucrezia Stefanini v Elena Rybakina (6)
Aryna Sabalenka (4) v Polona Hercog
Sofia Kenin (1) v Zhaoxuan Yan
Kristina Mladenovic v Garbine Muguruza (5)
Sorana Cirstea v Karolina Pliskova (3)
Jessica Pegula v Elina Svitolina (2)
Court 1
Starting at 10am:
Sara Sorribes Tormo v Nadia Podoroska
Marketa Vondrousova v Su-Wei Hsieh
Elise Mertens (7) v Alize Cornet
Tamara Zidansek v Jennifer Brady (11)
Heather Watson v Jodie Burrage
Vera Zvonareva v Amandine Hesse
Court 2
Starting at 10am:
Arantxa Rus v Xiyu Wang
Maria Kostyuk v Lucie Hradecka
Karolina Muchova v Danka Kovinic
Cori Gauff v Ulrikke Eikeri
Mona Barthel v Anastasia Gasanova
Court 3
Starting at 10am:
Kateryna Bondarenko v Yafan Wang
Aliaksandra Sasnovich v Anna Bondar
Bianca Turati v Yaroslava Shvedova
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
