Paralysis Threatens Lebanese Government

Analysts are noting an increasing likeliness that the government of Lebanon could collapse under the weight of the crisis that has left the cabinet and parliament paralyzed for more than four months. The Beirut-based Daily Star is reporting that there is no solution in sight because of a boycott by a majority of lawmakers and cabinet ministers. The term of the parliament was extended in May because rival parties could not agree on terms for a new electoral law. There is also no agreement on piecing together a cabinet. Governmental institutions are being neglected; appointments to crucial administrative posts are being delayed. The exception is that the term of the army chief-of-staff is being extended by two years in order to avoid a security crisis. The newspaper quoted former Lebanese ambassador to the United States Abdallah Bou Habib as saying that the “paralysis will lead to the disintegration and collapse of the state. It will also lead to the proliferation of corruption in state departments due to the absence of accountability and oversight.”