home > by publication type > podcasts > Bazzi: Lebanese Election Preview
Email
| Interviewee: | Mohamad Bazzi |
|---|---|
| Interviewer: | Eben Kaplan |
September 20, 2007
Mohamad Bazzi, CFR's Edward Murrow press fellow, says the political situation in Lebanon is so tenuous that the Lebanese parliament may not be able to elect a president when it convenes September 25. Should the deadlock continue through November when current President Emile Lahoud's term expires, the country could face an even larger crisis with opposing sides clamoring to fill the power vacuum.
Bazzi says the two major parliamentary factions could still reach a compromise on a candidate and the country has a history of eleventh-hour dealmaking. A third scenario could see the pro-Western majority attempt to elect its own candidate without the required two-thirds majority. Should this occur, the opposition would likely reject the legitimacy of the vote and might even attempt to create its own interim government.
The assassination of lawmaker Antoine Ghanem on September 19 slims the parliamentary majority such that further assassinations or defections could prevent the majority from electing its preferred candidate, Bazzi says.
Weigh in on this issue by emailing CFR.org.
I understand that I may access this podcast solely for my personal use. Any other use of the file and its content, including display, distribution, reproduction, or alteration in any form for any purpose, whether commercial, noncommercial, educational, or promotional, is expressly prohibited without the written permission of the copyright owner, the Council on Foreign Relations. For more information, write webmaster@cfr.org.
In The Closing of the American Border, Edward Alden goes behind the scenes to tell the story of the Bush administration’s struggle to balance security and openness in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
In Termites in the Trading System, Jagdish Bhagwati reveals how the rapid spread of preferential trade agreements endangers the world trading system.
America Between the Wars explores how the decisions and debates of the years between the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Twin Towers shaped the events, arguments, and politics of the world we live in today.
Complete list of CFR Books.
Copyright 2008 by the Council on Foreign Relations. All Rights Reserved.
Global Economy 