The United Nations Security Council called for Lebanon to hold presidential elections as scheduled on October 23, but House Speaker Nabih Berri quickly blasted the world body for "meddling" in Lebanese affairs. The 15-member council "called for the holding of a free and fair presidential election in conformity with the Lebanese constitutional norms and schedules and without any foreign interference," it said in a statement released on Thursday. The top U.N. body further called for the election to be held in "an atmosphere free of violence, fear and intimidation, in particular against the representatives of the Lebanese people and institutions."Lebanon's parliament on Tuesday adjourned until October 23 a crucial session to elect a new president for lack of a quorum and to allow more time for lawmakers to reach agreement on a consensus candidate. But fears are running high that the deadlock over the presidency could lead to two rival governments, a grim reminder of the final years of the 1975-1990 civil war when two competing administrations battled it out. The Security Council "took note of the decision to convene the next session of the Lebanese Parliament on 23 October and looked forward for the parliament to proceed as appropriate to the election of the president," it added. Egypt, France, Saudi Arabia and the Arab League had called earlier Thursday for the election to be held within the timeframe set out by the constitution.
In a statement published by Lebanese dailies on Friday, Berri rejected the U.N. statement and a similar one by the U.S. House of Representatives. "With all due respect, it is not the business of the Security Council to interfere in what is the business of the Lebanese parliament," Berri said in a statement published by Lebanese dailies on Friday. "The more people are imposed upon, the more they and the Security Council just get exhausted."
But Berri brought the criticism upon himself for failing to act responsibly in not attending the parliament meeting for electing the new president of Lebanon. According to political analysts "Berri has no one to blame but himself". Berri according to March 14 majority alliance wants a pro-Syrian president at any cost, even if this means the complete destruction of Lebanon. This is precisely what is worrying the UN security council members that are friendly to Democratic Lebanon.
The four-week delay in electing a new president was seen by both the government and opposition as a last chance to prevent an escalation of the political crisis in Beirut. A two-thirds majority of the 127-strong parliament is required for a candidate to be elected by parliament in a first round of voting to replace the current pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud, whose terms ends in November. In the event of a second round, a simple majority suffices.
Most of the 58 MPs from the Hezbollah-led opposition boycotted Tuesday's session on the grounds that the feuding political parties had failed to agree on a consensus candidate to replace Lahoud. MPs from the ruling majority have made clear they plan to go ahead with a vote when lawmakers reconvene in October even if no agreement has been struck.