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Lebanon president calls a 'state of emergency'

The Cabinet rejects the move as Lahoud leaves without a successor.

By Times Wires
Published November 24, 2007

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Lebanon's political tumult intensified Friday as President Emile Lahoud said the country is in a "state of emergency" and handed security powers to the army hours before leaving office without a successor. The rival, pro-Western Cabinet quickly blocked any power handover.

Lahoud's announcement created new confusion in an already unsettled situation, which many Lebanese fear could explode into violence between supporters of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's government and the pro-Syria opposition led by the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.

The departure of Lahoud, a staunch ally of the Syrian regime, was long sought bythe Parliament's anti-Syria majority, which has been trying to put one of its own in the presidency.

Hezbollah and other opposition groups have blocked a presidential election by boycotting ballot sessions, leaving Parliament without aquorum.

Lawmakers predicted the post could remain empty for as little as a week, when the 128-member Parliament meets again, or until 2009, when parliamentary elections are scheduled. "What are we waiting for now?" asked Ayyoub Hummayed, an opposition lawmaker. "Nothing too difficult. The Holy Spirit, I guess, to inspire us with a solution."

Both sides are locked in bitter recriminations, accusing the other of breaking the Constitution, and they are nowhere near a compromise on a candidate.

The army command refused to comment. The military, under its widely respected chief, Gen. Michel Suleiman, has remained neutral in the political chaos.

Lahoud was expected to step down when his nine-year term expired at midnight, leaving the presidency vacant after the Parliament failed again to convene to vote on a successor.

Even before the president's vague announcement, the military was in place to guard against the two sides' supporters taking the conflict to the streets. Hundreds of soldiers stood with tanks, armored personnel carriers and jeeps in the area around the downtown Parliament as well as on roads leading into Beirut.

The capital was largely calm, save for some fireworks from Lahoud supporters.

Lahoud's vaguely worded statement wasn't a formal declaration of a state of emergency, but he inflamed tempers with his reference to a "state of emergency."

Information from the Washington Post and Associated Press was used in this report.

[Last modified November 24, 2007, 01:06:27]