The following are summaries of today's major stories published in the Arabic press. LBCI does not edit press digest articles for content, giving English-language readers insight into the various views expressed in newspapers across the Arab world.
Al-Akhbar Daily reported that flyers were thrown across the southern city of Sidon, signed
by the “Sidon Youth Gathering” and threatening to kill the Israeli agent Mohammad
al-Gharmati, known as “Abou Arida”.
According to the flyers, the threat comes after “the security
forces had accused Sheikh Ahmad Assir of destroying Sidon, but appointed on
the other hand “Abou Arida” to carry out the same mission, by supplying him and
his group with weapons.”
According to the flyer, Sidon Youth Gathering activists call
for the “immediate death Abou Arida.”
Future bloc MP Ammar Houry stressed that, by suspending the
electoral deadlines until the 19th of May, his bloc has succeeded
in preventing legislative void, urging all parties to deploy their efforts to
reach an electoral law in order to hold the elections on time, or to postpone them for a short period.
In a statement to
al-Mustaqbal Daily, Houry noted that the
elections can be held on their constitutional due date if "intentions improve," confirming
on the other hand that a “technical postponement” of the elections has become inevitable.
An-Nahar
Newspaper reported that the names of the candidates who may be appointed as
ministers started circulating on the sidelines of the cabinet formation process. Among the names are: current minister Marwan Charbel, former minister Jean Obeid (for the
ministry of foreign affairs), former minister Ziad Baroud, former president of
the Bar Ramzi Jreij, former president of the Maronite League Joseph Tarabay and
the current League’s president Samir Abillamah, for the Maronite seats.
For the Sunnites: Former President of the Bar in Tripoli Rashid Derbass, Mohammad
al-Mashnouq, Marwan Ghandour.
For the Shiites: Raed Sharafeddine, Former deputy Nasser Nassrallah.
For the Druze: Retired Judge Abbas al-Halabi, Bahij Abou Hamza.
For the Catholics: Fayez al-Hajj Chahine.
For the Orthodox: Nicolas Nahas.
The Mufti of the Republic Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani
stressed that the call for the elections of the
Higher Islamic Council is irrevocable, according to the applicable norms and laws, noting that
in case the quorum were not reached in any electoral registry, the electoral
process will continue, and sub-elections will take place later, “as once demonstrated in the parliamentary elections.”
Qabbani told
As-Safir Daily that a number of officials are "threatening
innocent employees", while others are offering bribes. He stressed that calling
for elections is among the prerogatives of the Mufti, according to the decree
number 18/1955.
On
the other hand, Qabbani said that whoever seeks to extend the mandate of the
Islamic Council and to hinder the electoral process is the one causing divisions
inside the sect and disrupting the renewal of the body of the religious
institution which represents Muslims.
Well-informed sources noted that President Michel Sleiman is
lingering in signing the draft law pertaining to the suspension of the
electoral deadlines, and which was referred to the Secretariat General of the
Presidency of the Republic pending examination by legal experts.
The sources told
al-Joumhouria Daily that Sleiman will not
hesitate to sign the draft law if constitutional errors or violations were
not found, pointing out that the President has five days to sign the draft law,
since it was referred as an urgent matter.
On the other hand, the same sources revealed that the
Interior Ministry has received at least one hundred candidates for the
parliamentary elections, noting that the 1960 electoral law allows candidates to
win uncontested in some electoral districts where the number of the candidates is less than the number of seats.