LEBANON: PRIME MINISTER DESIGNATE NAJIB MIKATI'S GOVERNMENT WINS OVERWHELMING VOTE OF CONFIDENCE FROM PARLIAMENT

Record ID: 231230

  • Title: LEBANON: PRIME MINISTER DESIGNATE NAJIB MIKATI'S GOVERNMENT WINS OVERWHELMING VOTE OF CONFIDENCE FROM PARLIAMENT
  • Date: 27th April 2005
  • Summary: (BN09) BEIRUT, LEBANON (APRIL 27, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. WIDE OF PARLIAMENT SESSION 0.08 2. PRIME MINISTER DESIGNATE NAJIB MIKATI SPEAKING AT PODIUM 0.16 3. MV/SCU: HIZBOLLAH MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT (MP) (2 SHOTS) 0.24 4. OPPOSITION DEPUTIES STANDING 0.31 5. VARIOUS: HIZBOLLAH MPs RAISING HANDS TO GRANT VOTE (2 SHOTS) 0.44 6. CLOSE-UP OF MP SLEIMAN FRANJIEAH VOTING 0.46 7. HAS: LATE PRIME MINISTER RAFIK HARIRI'S PARLIAMENTARY BLOCK VOTING 0.51 8. PAN OF THE PARLIAMENT SESSION 1.01 9. MORE OF DEPUTIES VOTING 1.12 10. HAS: MIKATI VOTING 1.23 11. (SOUNDBITE)(Arabic) HOUSE SPEAKER NABIH BERRI, ANNOUNCING VOTE RESULTS: "109 votes (yes). 1 no vote. Three abstained." 1.33 12. WS: MPs APPLAUDING 1.36 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 12th May 2005 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BEIRUT, LEBANON
  • Country: Lebanon
  • Reuters ID: LVA4PLD224IEOIUBWE882YCQW571
  • Story Text: Lebanese Prime Minister designate Naijb Mikati's
    government wins majority of parliament vote of cofidence.


    Lebanon's house speaker Nabih Berri announced the
    results at the end of a parliament debate that started on
    Monday (April 24) to discuss the government's agenda.

    109 deputies out of 128 voted in favour of Prime
    Minister designate Najib Mikati's government.

    Mikati is a wealthy businessman with close ties to
    Damascus.

    Political sources said his government would announce
    the final dates for the upcoming parliamentary elections
    later this week.

    The elections had been threatened with delay by the
    Feb. 14 killing of former prime minister Rafik Hariri,
    which threw Lebanon into its worst
    political crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war and left the
    country with no government for seven weeks.

    Lebanon's pro-Syrian parliament speaker promised on
    Wednesday (April 27) that elections, the first without a
    Syrian military presence for 33 years, would start on May
    29.

    Berri's announcement, a day after Syria pulled its last
    soldiers and spies out of Lebanon after 29 years, means the
    parliamentary elections will be held on time as demanded by
    the international community and Lebanon's anti-Syrian
    opposition.

    The Lebanese opposition had accused Syrian-backed
    officials of procrastinating over the polls, which they
    expect to give them a majority in the house now dominated
    by Damascus's allies.

    Syrian forces entered Lebanon in 1976 and the last
    Syrian soldier left the country on Tuesday (April 26). The
    last Lebanese election held without Syrian forces in the
    country was in 1972.

    Lebanon has faced international calls to hold elections
    on time by the end of May, when the term of the existing
    parliament, elected in 2000, is due to expire.


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