Parliament members re-elected Speaker Nabih Berri on Thursday.
Berri, who has been dubbed by some “the speaker for life” since he has held the post uninterrupted since 1992, got 90 votes in his favor out of 117, regardless of his record of obstructing the government’s work by closing parliament for 18 months between 2006 and 2007.
Following his re-election during a lively session early afternoon yesterday, the speaker addressed the parliament saying, “Those who cast blank ballots will vote for me in four years.”
He called on the new parliament to take initiatives to enhance the Lebanese Army Forces’ (LAF) capabilities and provide the military institution with modern equipment.
Berri stressed that the parliament’s role is to facilitate the formation of a national-unity cabinet, which he said will enhance investments and help Lebanon regain its role in the region.
The speaker also called for supporting the Resistance “as long as Israel is using violence and aggression. The new parliament is concerned with liberating Lebanese occupied territory.”
After leaving the parliament session, Berri paid a protocol visit to President Michel Sleiman along with parliament office members at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, before the two men held a closed meeting.
With Berri’s re-election out of the way, the next item on the government’s agenda should be the appointment of the next prime minister.
According to the constitution, the parliament and speaker have to consult on who they want as prime minister, followed by a consultation between the speaker and president, who appoints the PM by decree. With March 14 retaining the parliamentary majority after the recent elections, some have already called Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri a “shoe-in” for the position of premier.
Finally, the last order of business for political parties is the formation of the cabinet.
However, Lebanese parties are already talking about reaching an agreement on the government before the premier is appointed, and majority and opposition sources told Al-Akhbar that an agreement on the cabinet’s formation has not been reached yet, which is stalling the appointment of a new PM.
Sources close to Hariri said that he “is keeping totally quiet regarding what he wants from the new government, and he does not want to show his cards,” reported Al-Akhbar.
The daily also reported that President Sleiman proposed to the majority a government formation that would grant the March 14 alliance 16 seats in the cabinet, the March 8 coalition 11 and himself three allied ministers.
-NOW Staff