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Lebanon without a President

BEIRUT: Lebanon awoke to a republic without President on Saturday amid mounting worries over a power vacuum that has intensified the nation’s yearlong political turmoil.

The capital was calm and shops opened for business as usual the morning after a tumultuous day that saw President Emile Lahoud depart at midnight without a successor after announcing he was handing over security powers to the army.

Mr. Lahoud’s final announcement saying the country is in a “state of emergency” was rejected by the rival, pro-Western Cabinet of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora.

The government rejection created fresh confusion in an already unsettled situation, which many Lebanese fear could explode into violence between supporters of Mr. Saniora’s government and the pro-Syria opposition led by the Shia militant group Hizbollah.

“Lahoud’s term ends in a republic without a President,” read the headline of Lebanon’s leading An-Nahar newspaper. Another daily, Al-Balad, printed an empty photo frame on its front page, symbolizing the political vacuum.

The departure of Mr. Lahoud, a staunch ally of the Syrian regime during his nine years in office, was a long-sought goal of the government installed by Parliament’s anti-Syria majority, which has been trying to put one of its own in the presidency.

Hizbollah and other opposition groups have blocked legislators from electing a new President by boycotting ballot sessions, leaving Parliament without the required quorum. The fight has put Lebanon into dangerous, unknown territory: Both sides are locked in bitter recriminations, accusing the other of breaking the constitution, and they are nowhere near a compromise on a candidate to become head of state.

The army command refused to comment on the developments. The military, under its widely respected chief, Gen. Michel Suleiman, has sought to remain neutral in the political chaos.and Mr. Lahoud’s statement did not give it political powers. Even before the President’s vague announcement, the military was in place to guard against the two sides’ supporters taking the conflict to the streets. On alert for days, hundreds of soldiers stood with tanks, armoured personnel carriers and jeeps in the area around the downtown Parliament building as well as on roads leading into Beirut.

Mr. Lahoud stepped down when his term expired at midnight.

Before getting into his car to go, he blasted Mr. Saniora’s government, calling it “illegitimate and unconstitutional. They know that, even if [President] Bush said otherwise.”

In the capital, some 2,000 government supporters gathered in a Sunni Muslim neighbourhood cheered his departure, setting off fireworks, beating drums and shouting, “Lahoud Out!”

His departure left the presidency vacant after Parliament failed again to convene earlier on Friday to vote on a successor.

Mr. Lahoud’s vaguely worded final statement, two hours before midnight enflamed tempers with his reference to a “state of emergency” in Lebanon.

The Constitution requires the cabinet to approve any state of emergency, and Mr. Saniora’s government quickly rejected the announcement as “worthless.” — AP

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