Ministerial Statement Discussion Resumes, 110 MPs Supposed to Grant Confidence

The session of ministerial statement discussion will end today after remaining MPs, who want to deliver their speeches and voting takes place to give, according to media expectations, 110 confidence votes

The session resumed for the second day after it began yesterday and lasted for 8 hours during which 26 MPs had delivered their speeches, with the government almost certain to win a sweeping majority vote of confidence in the upcoming legislative session. The first speech was delivered by Prime Minister Tammam Salam in which he read the ministerial policy statement.

During an earlier meeting with the Lebanese president, ministers and security officials in the Presidential Palace, he discussed the necessity of resolving the current security problems.

Then the former prime minister Najib Mikati delivered his speech in which he granted the government his confidence vote.

"Dissociation policy adopted by the former government was the best policy," he said.

MP Strida Geagea said that the Lebanese Forces Bloc didn't give the confidence to the government.

She added, in an unusual stand, that there were things in common between Sayed Hassan Nassrallah and Samir Geagea. MP Nawaf Al-Mousawi told Al-Akhbar newspaper that nothing is new in this stand since "the constant principles of the Lebanese Forces remain the same."

MP Joseph Maalouf, among others, also didn't grant confidence to the government.

The confidence was granted to the government by, among others, MP Ibrahim Kanaan, representing the Change and Reform Bloc, MP Robert Fadel, Future MP Mohammad Qabbani, MP Ammar houri, MP Nematallah Abi Nasr, MP Alaeddine Terro, representing the National Struggle Front and MP Henri Helou.

As for Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya, it preferred to abstain since the government that barely reached a policy statement cannot reach an election law, MP Imad Al-Hout said.