BEIRUT: A newly founded opposition group vowed to topple Premier Fouad Siniora's Cabinet and called for early parliamentary elections "to prevent the collapse of a country and a nation." The Lebanese National Gathering - announced Tuesday in a news conference by former Premier Omar Karami - said the ruling class has failed to rebuild the country, strengthened sectarian tensions among the Lebanese and attempted to transform Lebanon into a regional battlefield.The group included some 30 politicians among them former pro-Syrian ministers Suleiman Franjieh, Eli Ferzli, Albert Mansour, Abed Rahim Mrad and Michel Samaha. Once Siniora's Cabinet is toppled, the gathering said it will then attempt to form a coalition government, draft a new electoral law, hold new parliamentary elections and then form a national unity government.
"We are an opposition group with clear goals. Our duties are to monitor the government's performance and correct it until we topple it through democratic means," said Karami. Although the gathering did not include Hizbullah, the Amal Movement or the Free Patriotic Movement, which also criticize the government for what they claim is inadequate performance, Karami said they will soon draft understanding agreements with the three parties.