A dispute between the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and the Lebanese Forces (LF) reached an unprecedented level on Tuesday after the latter proposed giving a ministerial portfolio that will be shared between President Michel Aoun and his allied bloc, Strong Lebanon, in the next cabinet.
According to norms in Lebanon, presidents receive a ministerial share in cabinet lineups. However, those presidents were never represented by another bloc inside the same government.
This is not the case of the current cabinet, where Aoun, the founder of the FPM, has a ministerial share separate from his party’s representation.
This prompted the LF to demand that Aoun and the Strong Lebanon bloc obtain a joint ministerial portfolio in the new government.
But, the 29-member Strong Lebanon bloc headed, by FPM leader and outgoing Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, insist on getting a portfolio separate from Aoun’s.
LF sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the party’s fight in this regard is not directed against the president, but against Bassil, who is trying to use Aoun’s share to minimize the LF shares.
“The Lebanese Forces is keen on protecting the powers and the role of the Presidency, but we will not accept that some parties skirt the results of the parliamentary elections,” the source said.
LF and social media activists posted on Tuesday a video showing Aoun, when he was still head of the FPM, commenting on the issue during the term of President Michel Suleiman.
Aoun had declared that a president is not entitled to a ministerial portfolio.
However, it seems that Aoun and Bassil currently refuse to even discuss the LF request.
“The issue is already settled and not subject to any discussion,” Aoun sources told Asharq Al-Awsat, accusing the LF of trying to damage the powers of the president.
Shiite and Sunni parties have avoided discussing the matter, keeping the ball in the Christian court.
Mustaqbal Movement official Mustafa Alloush told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and his party are only concerned about the quick lineup of the cabinet away from any complications.”
It is up to the LF and the FPM to resolve issues related to the presidential shares in the next cabinet or to any issue related to the Christian representation in the country, he added.
