Lebanese MPs fail for the fifth time to elect a president

Lebanese MPs fail for the fifth time to elect a president
Lebanon’s divided parliament failed on Thursday to elect a new president for the fifth time, with the post vacant since the mandate of Michel Aoun expired last month. (AP/File)
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Updated 10 November 2022
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Lebanese MPs fail for the fifth time to elect a president

Lebanese MPs fail for the fifth time to elect a president
  • New session set for Nov. 17
  • MP Melhem Khalaf described Thursday’s session as ‘a repetition of an absurd scene in light of the deadlock’

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s divided parliament failed on Thursday to elect a new president for the fifth time, with the post vacant since the mandate of Michel Aoun expired last month.
A new session will be held next Thursday, Nov. 17.
Independent Michel Moawad was the frontrunner in the 128-seat parliament with 44 votes on Thursday, still far short of the two-thirds majority — or 86 ballots — needed to win.
Parliament is split between supporters of the Hezbollah movement and its opponents, neither having a clear majority.
Hezbollah rejected the candidacy of Moawad and called for a “compromise candidate” to be found.
In the meantime, most MPs from its bloc spoiled their ballots.
This year’s vacancy comes as Lebanon is gripped since 2019 by an unprecedented financial crisis that has pushed much of the population into poverty.
Since May, Lebanon has had only a caretaker government that lacks the authority to push through the sweeping reforms demanded by the International Monetary Fund as a condition for releasing billions of dollars in emergency loans.
Amid this political sterility, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati stressed on Thursday that the government is doing “the work that is constitutionally and nationally required to pass this difficult stage while awaiting the election of a president.”
He was speaking at the opening of a workshop for the heads of the Supreme Judicial Council and the first Arab-European Chambers of Cassation.
Mikati said that “those who enjoy obstruction and waste opportunities” are trying to suggest to the public that “the government is willing to replace the head of state, or is working to take away his powers. That is deceiving and hypocritical.”
Mikati stressed that it was not acceptable for the position of head of state to remain empty, not even for a single day.
Thursday’s session was the first held after the end of former President Aoun’s term 10 days ago.
The session was attended by 108 deputies out of 128.
The voting process took place with the session reaching its quorum of 86 deputies.
The voting process was preceded by a protest from opposition MPs against the interpretation of some constitutional articles related to the quorum of the sessions.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri settled the debate by calling for a vote, without providing answers.
Blank ballots outnumbered votes for Moawad, this time 47 to 44.
Six votes went to the academic Issam Khalifa, seven protest votes for “a new Lebanon,” one “for Lebanon” and one for a “Plan B.”
Names of new candidates emerged, as one vote went to former Minister Ziyad Baroud and another to the presidential candidate and former Secretary-General of the Higher Council for Privatization Ziad Hayek.
As a result, neither candidate obtained the 65 votes needed to win the presidency in the first round, which called for a second voting round.
As in each of the previous four sessions, this fifth session lost its quorum, which prompted Berri to end it.
MP Moawad said that he maintained the average votes he obtained in each session.
MPs of the Lebanese Forces, the Progressive Socialist Party, the Kataeb Party, the Tajdid Bloc, and several independents continued to vote for him.
“Moawad would have obtained 49 votes, had it not been for the absence of 4 deputies from the session, whose votes usually go to Moawad’s favor,” said Rep. George Adwan.
The Free Patriotic Movement’s MPs were expected to choose a candidate, instead of casting blank ballots. However, most of the party’s MPs chose to go with blank ballots, as did the representatives of Hezbollah, the Amal Movement, the Tashnaq Party and the Marada Movement.
Forces of Change Deputy Melhem Khalaf asked at the beginning of the session to keep the sessions open and to re-establish the quorum, suggesting that the two-thirds quorum should not be adopted in the second round of voting.
This is what Berri adheres to each time for holding the second session.
At the beginning of the session, MP Nadim Gemayel asked: “People are asking if this is a masquerade or a serious assembly. It’s not the people’s fault if a party can’t agree on a candidate,” to which Berri replied: “It is a political choice.”
MP Khalaf described Thursday’s session as “a repetition of an absurd scene in light of the deadlock and the failure of all initiatives leading to the election of a head of state.”
He added: “What is required is the election of a rescue president who is not the result of settlements, who can lead us out of the hole we are in and re-establish the authority.”


Yemeni soldier killed, others hurt in Houthi drone attack in Saada

The army shot down several of the drones but one hit its target, killing a soldier and wounding others. (File/AFP)
The army shot down several of the drones but one hit its target, killing a soldier and wounding others. (File/AFP)
Updated 01 October 2023
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Yemeni soldier killed, others hurt in Houthi drone attack in Saada

The army shot down several of the drones but one hit its target, killing a soldier and wounding others. (File/AFP)
  • Incident happened during parade to mark anniversary of Sept. 26 Revolution
  • 4 Bahraini soldiers were killed in similar attack last week

AL-MUKALLA: A Yemeni government soldier was killed and several others were injured in a Houthi drone attack in the northern province of Saada on Saturday, the second such incident in a week.

Hadi Tarshan, governor of Saada, told Arab News that the Houthis launched a barrage of explosive-laden drones at a military parade held by Yemeni government forces in Baqoum district to commemorate the 61st anniversary of the Sept. 26 Revolution.

The army shot down several of the drones but one hit its target, killing a soldier and wounding others.

“We, the residents of Saada, have known the Houthis since 2004, and we know that they will not honor any deal or truce unless they are weak. What happened today demonstrates this,” Tarshan said.

The incident comes a week after four Bahraini soldiers were killed in a Houthi drone attack on a group of Arab coalition soldiers near the Saudi Arabia-Yemen border.

Despite a significant reduction in hostilities since a UN-brokered ceasefire went into effect in April last year, the Houthis have continued to launch ground attacks and fired drones and missiles at government-controlled areas and military locations in Taiz, Marib, Dhale, Lahi and other provinces.

Yemeni political and military observers said the increase in hostilities was intended to send a message to Houthi supporters who are under pressure to pay public employees and Saudi Arabia.

Military analyst Brig. Gen. Mohammed Al-Kumaim told Arab News that by targeting government troops and Arab coalition forces, the Houthis sought to reassure their supporters of their strength and exert pressure on the Kingdom to accept their peace demands.

“The intent was to send a message to the inside (Yemen) to boost their followers’ morale and divert attention away from what was happening in Sanaa,” he said.

“In addition, they are sending a message to Saudi Arabia to take their requests seriously.”

But even if the Yemeni government or the Kingdom complied with those demands, the Houthis would devise new ones and continue their military operations, he added.

“This is the Houthis we know: they are covenant breakers, deceivers and traitors who will exploit any opportunity to attack others, even during a truce. When their demands are satisfied, they increase them without making any concessions.”

Last week, the Houthis abducted more than 1,000 Yemenis in the cities of Sanaa and Ibb who had gathered on the street to commemorate the anniversary of the revolution, a move that the Houthis viewed as a challenge to their control and ban on public gatherings.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, the Houthis prevented four Yemeni activists from the rights organization Mwatana from boarding a plane bound for Amman, Jordan.

The organization said the Houthis interrogated the activists, annulled their exit visas and told them to leave the airport, without providing any justification for their actions.

“It is another infringement of Yemeni men’s and women’s right to freedom of movement committed by the Houthi organization,” Rasheed Al-Faqih, the vice president of Mwatana and one of the four activists affected, said on X.

“With its protocols and decrees, the organization has undermined the Republic of Yemen’s effective constitution and all national laws and legislation.”


25 million children start new academic year in Egypt

An Egyptian teacher instructs students on the first day of the academic year at Al-Sadeeya school, in Cairo, Egypt October 1.
An Egyptian teacher instructs students on the first day of the academic year at Al-Sadeeya school, in Cairo, Egypt October 1.
Updated 01 October 2023
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25 million children start new academic year in Egypt

An Egyptian teacher instructs students on the first day of the academic year at Al-Sadeeya school, in Cairo, Egypt October 1.
  • Education Minister Reda Hegazy visits Cairo school on first day of term
  • Government committed to young people’s development, he says

CAIRO: About 25 million children began the new academic year at 60,000 schools across Egypt on Sunday.

Many sites were bedecked with balloons and decorations in line with a directive issued by Education Minister Reda Hegazy to ensure youngsters received a warm welcome on their first day back at school.

Hegazy joined Cairo Gov. Khaled Abdel Aal for the opening day at Al-Sayeda Nafisa Secondary School for Girls in Cairo, which is home to 603 pupils.

The officials expressed their best wishes to the students, teachers and staff for the year ahead.

Hegazy said the Education Ministry was committed to the development of schools and was taking all measures to benefit students.

These included the creation of question banks that children would be able to access to help them with their studies.

Abdel Aal said Cairo was home to 5,813 schools serving 2.5 million children of all ages — more than anywhere else in the country — and that operations were running smoothly across the city.

Thirty-eight new schools had opened this year, he added.

The new school year runs until June 8, 2024.


Libya’s eastern government postpones Derna reconstruction conference

Libya’s eastern government postpones Derna reconstruction conference
Updated 01 October 2023
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Libya’s eastern government postpones Derna reconstruction conference

Libya’s eastern government postpones Derna reconstruction conference

BENGHAZI: Libya’s eastern authorities on Sunday announced the postponement of a reconstruction conference for the flood-hit city of Derna that had been planned for October 10 but was met with international skepticism.
The conference was put off until November 1-2 to “give companies and design offices the necessary time to prepare their projects,” the committee charged with planning the meeting said in a statement.


Yemen’s state-run airline suspends only route out of Sanaa over Houthi restrictions on its funds

Yemen’s state-run airline suspends only route out of Sanaa over Houthi restrictions on its funds
Updated 01 October 2023
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Yemen’s state-run airline suspends only route out of Sanaa over Houthi restrictions on its funds

Yemen’s state-run airline suspends only route out of Sanaa over Houthi restrictions on its funds
  • Yemen Airways cancels commercial flights from Sanaa to the Jordanian capital of Amman
  • Even before the conflict, Yemen had been the Arab world’s poorest country

CAIRO: Yemen’s state-run carrier has suspended the only air route out of the country’s rebel-held capital to protest Houthi restrictions on its funds, officials said Sunday.
Yemen Airways cancels commercial flights from Sanaa’s international airport to the Jordanian capital of Amman. The airline had been operating six commercial and humanitarian flights a week between Sanaa and Amman as of the end of September.
The Sanaa-Amman air route was reintroduced last year as part of a UN-brokered cease-fire between the Houthis and the internationally recognized government. The cease-fire agreement expired in October 2022, but the warring factions refrained from taking measures that would lead to a flare-up of all-out fighting.
Yemen’s civil war began in 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and forced the government into exile.
The airline blamed the Iranian-backed Houthis for the move because they were withholding $80 million in the company’s funds in Houthi-controlled banks in Sanaa. It said in a statement on Saturday that the rebels rejected a proposal to release 70 percent of the funds. The statement said the airline’s sales in Sanaa exceed 70 percent of its revenues.
The statement said the Houthi ban on the funds was linked to “illegal and unreasonable demands, and caused severe damage to the airline’s activities.”
The Houthi-controlled Saba news agency quoted an unnamed source condemning the airline’s move. The source was quoted as saying that the rebels offered to release 60 percent of the airline’s funds in Sanaa.
Even before the conflict, Yemen had been the Arab world’s poorest country. The war has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.
The dispute between the Houthis and the national airline comes as the rebels and Saudi Arabia have appeared close to a peace agreement in recent months. Saudi Arabia received a Houthi delegation last month for peace talks, saying the negotiations had “positive results.”
The Saudi-Houthi efforts, however, were overshadowed by an attack blamed on the Houthis last week that killed four Bahraini troops who were part of a coalition force patrolling Saudi Arabia’s southern border.
The Houthis, meanwhile, barred four activists from the Mwatana for Human Rights group from boarding their flight at Sanaa airport on Saturday “without providing legal justification,” group said.
It said that Houthi officials interrogated Mwatana’s chairperson Radhya Al-Mutawakel, her deputy and three other members before telling them that they were barred from travel according to “higher orders.”
A spokesman for the rebels was not immediately available for comment.
Mwatana said the ban was “just one episode in a long series of violations” by the rebels at the Sanaa airport on land routes linking rebel-held areas with other parts of Yemen.
The rebels also rounded up dozens of people who took to the streets last month in the Houthi-held areas, including Sanaa, to commemorate the anniversary of Yemen’s Sep. 26 revolution, which marks the establishment of Yemen’s republic in 1962, Amnesty International said.
“It is outrageous that demonstrators commemorating a national historical moment found themselves attacked, arrested, and facing charges simply because they were waving flags,” Amnesty said, and called on Houthis to immediately release those detained.


Bomb attack targets Turkish capital, Kurdish militants claim responsibility

Bomb attack targets Turkish capital, Kurdish militants claim responsibility
Updated 01 October 2023
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Bomb attack targets Turkish capital, Kurdish militants claim responsibility

Bomb attack targets Turkish capital, Kurdish militants claim responsibility
  • Blast was the first in Ankara since 2016, and comes on the day that parliament was set to open a new session.

ANKARA: Two attackers detonated a bomb in front of Turkish government buildings in Ankara on Sunday, leaving both of them dead and two police officers wounded, and a Kurdish militant group claimed responsibility for the attack.
Authorities called it the first terrorist attack in the capital in years.
CCTV footage obtained by Reuters showed a vehicle pulling up to the Interior Ministry’s main gate and one of its occupants quickly walking toward the building before being engulfed in an explosion, while the other remains on the street.
The blast killed one of the attackers and authorities “neutralized,” or killed, the other, the interior minister said of the incident that rattled a central district that is home to ministerial buildings and nearby parliament.
In a speech at the opening of a new parliamentary session hours later, President Tayyip Erdogan called the morning attack “the latest attempt” to inflict terror on Turks.
“Those who threaten the peace and security of citizens have not achieved their goals and never will,” he said.
The ANF News website, which is close to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, said a group called the ‘Immortals Battalion’ had carried out the attack, citing a PKK statement.
The statement described the bombing as a ‘suicide attack’ planned to coincide with the opening of parliament and carried out by “a team of ours linked to our Immortals Battalion.”
The PKK is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the United States and the European Union. It launched an insurgency in southeast Turkiye in 1984 and more than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict.
The bomb on Ataturk Boulevard was the first in Ankara since 2016, when a spate of deadly attacks gripped the country. Video afterward showed a Renault cargo vehicle parked there, windows shattered and doors open, amid debris and surrounded by soldiers, ambulances, fire trucks and armored vehicles.
A senior Turkish official told Reuters the attackers had hijacked the vehicle and killed its driver in Kayseri, a city 260 km (161 miles) southeast of Ankara, before carrying out the attack. One of the injured officers suffered shrapnel injuries, he added.
“Two terrorists came with a light commercial vehicle in front of the entrance gate of the General Directorate of Security of our Ministry of Internal Affairs and carried out a bomb attack,” Ali Yerlikaya, the interior minister, said on social media platform X.
He added the two officers were slightly injured in the incident at 9:30 a.m. (0630 GMT).
“Our struggle will continue until the last terrorist is neutralized,” he said, echoing condemnation by other Turkish officials.

PAST ATTACKS
Police said they carried out controlled explosions for “suspicious package incidents” in other parts of Ankara.
Authorities did not identify any specific militant group.
The incident comes almost a year after six people were killed and 81 wounded in an explosion in a busy pedestrian street in central Istanbul. Turkiye blamed Kurdish militants for that.
During a series of bloody incidents in 2015 and 2016, Kurdish militants, Islamic State and other groups either claimed or were blamed for several attacks in major Turkish cities. In March 2016, 37 people were killed in Ankara when a bomb-laden car exploded at a crowded central transport hub.
Ankara’s chief prosecutor launched an investigation on Sunday into what it also called a terrorist attack.
Turkiye’s parliament is expected to consider ratifying Sweden’s bid to join NATO in coming weeks, after Turkiye had raised initial objections and delayed enlargement of the bloc.
Erdogan did not mention Sweden or NATO, but told members of parliament that agreeing a new constitution was a priority for the new session. The parliament speaker said its agenda would not surrender to terror.
Charles Michel, European Council president, said he strongly condemned what he called the terrorist attack, while EU Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi said it supports Turkiye “in its fight against terrorism.”