Lebanese president calls for an end to allocation of government posts by religion
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Prompted by weeks of popular protests, Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun called Thursday for the establishment of a technocratic government and an end to the country’s custom of allocating political offices along religious lines.
Currently, the prime minister must be a Sunni while the president must be a Maronite Christian and the speaker of parliament a Shiite, according to an unwritten power-sharing deal established in 1943 known as the National Pact.
Aoun pledged to move away from the sectarian-based political system to a civil state,
calling sectarianism a “destructive disease”.
Aoun also said the country’s next cabinet should include ministers selected for their skills, not their political affiliation, seemingly endorsing the demand by a two-week-old protest movement for a technocratic government.
Lebanese protesters gather during an anti-government protest in front Lebanese Central Bank at Hamra Street in Beirut, Lebanon. EPA-EFE/NABIL MOUNZER
“Ministers should be selected based on their qualifications and experience, not their political loyalties,” Aoun said in his speech, which came on the third anniversary of his presidency.
Protesters have called for both a technocratic government and an end to the sectarian system wherein posts are allocated according to religion.
Prime Minster Saad Hariri on Tuesday submitted the resignation of his cabinet, but Aoun asked him to stay on in a caretaking capacity until a new cabinet could be formed.
Lebanese banks will resume normal operations and receive customers on Friday, the banking association said, ending a two-week-long closure caused by massive protests against the country’s ruling politicians.
