An extension of President Michel Sleiman’s in office or a vacuum in the presidency appear to be the only options for Lebanon once Sleiman’s mandate ends in May next year, according to political sources.

 

Doubts are growing about whether the divided country will be able to elect a new head of state once Sleiman’s six-year term expires.

 

The sources said among the options being mulled to avoid a presidential vacuum is for Saudi Arabia and Iran to reach an understanding on the region’s problems. Such a development would reflect positively on both politics and security in Lebanon, and lead to a Lebanese-regional accord on a new consensus president without excluding the possibility of Sleiman again being chosen.

 

If a regional settlement fails to materialize and the struggle in Lebanon and the region persists along with the divide among the rival political factions, Lebanon will face the following possibilities: the state of limbo currently affecting state institutions will envelop the presidency, or an inter-Lebanese accord will be reached in isolation from the foreign powers that support the extension of Sleiman’s term, the sources added.

 

The sources pointed to the international community’s firm support for Sleiman, based on a recent statement issued by U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon in which he called on the Lebanese to rally behind the president. Later, the U.N. Security Council unanimously reaffirmed its support for stability in Lebanon and the need to stand behind Sleiman after praising his efforts.

 

This signals that the international community places a premium on maintaining security in Lebanon even if this requires extending Sleiman’s term, which in the eyes of influential Western powers is better than sinking into a vacuum and crippling state institutions, the sources said.

 

Referring to Sleiman’s ties with regional states, the sources said he was constantly in contact with leaders of influential nations, at the forefront of which are Saudi Arabia and Iran. This was manifested during Sleiman’s two visits to Saudi Arabia in the past two years, his recent visit to Qatar to congratulate the new Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, and the phone conversation he had with Iran’s President-elect Hassan Rouhani.

 

On Sleiman’s plan to reconvene National Dialogue, the sources said he prefers to convene a session after the formation of a new Cabinet which appears to be stalled for now.

 

As for his support for constitutional amendments, the sources said Sleiman did not really mean an amendment of the Constitution as much as he wanted to boost the performance of state institutions, by filling vacant posts and interpreting constitutional provisions.

 

A committee of constitutional experts, formed by Sleiman, has prepared a 90-page booklet containing all necessary amendments and clarifications, the sources said.

 

Speaking at the annual iftar he hosted at Baabda Palace Tuesday, Sleiman said he would soon outline his plans on this front, after he identified “a number of shortcomings in the mechanism of decision-making on delicate and sensitive issues, which led to crippling the work of institutions and [the branches] of executive and legislative authorities.”