Nayla Tueni

By : Nayla Tueni

Last week, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said his party was not obstructing Lebanon’s presidential or municipal elections, and called on those concerned to attend parliamentary sessions to elect his presidential candidate, Christian MP Michel Aoun.

How democratic and respectful of parliament and democracy! Nasrallah told MPs to either elect Aoun or continue to have no president – in other words, an ultimatum to parliament and the Lebanese people.

He said Hezbollah would emerge victorious over its rivals regarding regional developments, but then contradicted himself by saying: “Don’t count on outside [powers] and let’s [work together] to find an internal solution.”

Shirking responsibilities

Hezbollah and the Future Movement, led by Saad Hariri, have been holding meetings, so if the intent to hold dialogue and meet half way is still there, why do they not agree on an internal solution regarding the presidency instead of defying one another via media outlets?

Why do Hezbollah MPs not go to parliament to elect their candidate while respecting democratic foundations? Whoever gets the majority of votes will win. Even if MPs are affiliated with political parties, it is their duty to elect a president. Boycotting elections of a president seriously harms the constitution and the political system. Obstructing constitutional deadlines is a violation of regulations. Attempts to impose a certain candidate resemble foreign interference – we in Lebanon have a bitter history of this.

Today, there is foreign tutelage hiding behind a Lebanese mask, and it is trying to seize control of the state and turn it into an Iranian proxy.

Nayla Tueni is one of the few elected female politicians in Lebanon and of the two youngest. She became a member of parliament in 2009 and following the assassination of her father, Gebran, she is currently a member of the board and Deputy General Manager of Lebanon’s leading daily, Annahar. Prior to her political career, Nayla had trained, written in and managed various sections of Annahar, where she currently has a regular column. She can be followed on Twitter @NaylaTueni

Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in the Column section are their own and do not reflect RiyadhVision’s point-of-view.

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