REPORT: Nasrallah: MPs must conduct presidential elections away from foreign interference

Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah addressed a speech on Friday tackling the latest local and regional developments.

Sayyed Nasrallah's speech was delivered during the memorial service of the head of Islamic Association for Education and Teaching, Sheikh Mostafa Qassir, who passed away on May 26, 2014.

He hailed the achievements of Sheikh Mostafa, saying that "he was an idol and an example as a scholar, researcher, investigator and teacher."

On another note, Nasrallah urged the Lebanese parliament to end the pay scale and the official exams crises, adding that the country has reached a very critical stage.

He accused the ruling political class of being responsible for this situation in the country, adding that all parliamentary blocs have an ethical, national and humanitarian duty to head to parliament to resolve the issue, do justice to employees and save the academic year.

He also noted that Hezbollah does not seek to reach a tripartite formula in the ruling system in Lebanon, saying that accusations  political parties accuse Hezbollah of banning the Lebanese presidential elections to reach the tripartite formula.

As for the presidential bid, Nasrallah called on the Lebanese MPs to exert efforts to conduct the presidential elections away from the foreign interference.

Nasrallah stressed that lawmakers must not wait for the Iranian-Saudi negotiations to settle the issue of the presidential elections.

Lebanon has been unable to agree on a consensus candidate for president, creating a political vacuum at a time when the country is struggling to contain domestic sectarian violence while also grappling with a flood of Syrian refugees and declining economic growth.
 
Lebanon has been without a president since May 25 when Michel Sleiman's six-year term expired.

On the Syrian dossier, Hezbollah leader said that the Syrian presidential elections challenged the Western threats and pressures, adding that the high turnout annoyed the Western accusations about the illegitimacy of the bid.

He also noted that the underestimation of the Syrian presidential elections reflects political failure, adding that the political solution in Syria cannot be carried out without President Bashar Assad.

He concluded by calling on the Lebanese people not to be concerned about the results of the presidential elections in Syria, adding however that Lebanese should be worried if the terrorist groups "split Syria."

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad won 88.7 percent of the vote in Syria's presidential election, parliament speaker Mohammad al-Laham said on Wednesday, securing a third term in office despite a raging civil war which grew out of protests against his rule.

Assad's foes had dismissed the election as a charade, saying the two relatively unknown challengers offered no real alternative and that no poll held in the midst of civil war could be considered credible.

The conflict has killed 160,000 people, driven nearly 3 million abroad as refugees and displaced many more inside Syria.


To watch Bassam Abou Zeid's report, please click on the VIDEO above