Cabinet deadlock to be resolved this week: Salam

BEIRUT: Prime Minister Tammam Salam will announce the makeup of a new decision making system in the Cabinet within the next couple of days, he said in comments published Sunday.

Salam told Al-Hayat newspaper he was still discussing the issue with various political factions.

“The results should appear in the next two days because nothing is 100 percent clear yet,” he said.

Salam decided earlier this month to halt Cabinet meetings until the different political factions agree on a new system for making decisions. The weekly Cabinet session for the last two weeks were suspended.

Since President Michel Sleiman's term ended last May, the national unity Cabinet has been tasked with approving laws and decrees.

The 24-member body requires unanimous approval to pass legislation, creating difficulties in getting decisions through the Cabinet.

Salam assured that the cabinet will not adopt any system that contradicts the Constitution, which he said states that the first choice should be unanimous consent.

Article 65 of the Lebanese Constitution states that the Cabinet can only be activated if two-thirds of the ministers are present and that decisions must be made unanimously.

However, in cases where a consensus cannot be reached, the constitution requires that a simple majority vote is conducted.

Al-Mustaqbal newspaper quoted sources close to Salam also Sunday as saying that the new decision being cooked will state that a decree will only be discarded when more than one political faction votes against it.

Education Minister Elias Bou Saab confirmed the news to Al-Mustaqbal, explaining that it would prevent factions from exchanging vetoes due to political tensions.

The sources suggested that Salam might call for a Cabinet session next Thursday, where he will make the new announcement.

“In the exceptional circumstances that we’re passing through due to the presidential vacuum, consensus is needed more than ever,” the prime minister told Al-Hayat. “However, we have warned against disruption... which has recently taken an uncomfortable turn.”