The Lebanese government on Monday submitted a draft law for a constitutional amendment that will allow for the appointment of
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri downplayed the move, stating the government had no right to amend the constitution. Berri is affiliated with the Shi’ite Amal Party, whose ministers resigned from the government a year ago, along with the Shi’ite ministers of Hizbullah. He said the resignation of the Shi’ite ministers had rendered the government illegal, and therefore unable to make changes to the constitution.
The Lebanese parliament has been unable to agree on a replacement for the Syrian-backed president Emile Lahoud since November 23rd.
"We are carrying out our duty so that when the constitutional deadline expires [on December 31] we would be ready to elect a president at any given time," Information Minister Ghazi Al-‘Aridhi said, explaining the government’s draft law.
Although all of the parties had agreed to the appointment of Gen. Michel Suleiman as president, his appointment had, nevertheless, cast Lebanese politics into turmoil. The Shi’ite parties claim that Prime Minister Fuad Siniora’s government had lost its authority a year ago, when its Shi’ite members resigned. According to analysts at The Media Line, approving the government’s draft law for the constitutional amendment would be interpreted as recognition of the legality of the Shi’ite opposition.
If the majority-backed government decides to appoint Suleiman without the consent of the Shi’ite opposition, many observers fear that