Jumblatt switches position after mediation efforts fail

January 20, 2011 ⋅ 6:37 pm ⋅ Post a comment

The Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) – headed by MP Walid Jumblatt – denied reports that it had informed its student supporters to depart Beirut.

An unnamed PSP official said that his party is not behind text messages sent to students asking them to leave the Lebanese capital, the PSP official website said.

“There is no need for panic or for halting school… normal activity of students should resume.”

in a related development Jumblatt has reportedly decided to back the opposition PM candidate.

Jumblatt has reportedly informed concerned officials in the Future movement that he is being subjected to great pressures against naming Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri as the premier of a new government, knowing that he had previously informed Hariri that he would be naming him. He will now name former Lebanese prime minister Omar Karami in place of Hariri.

Jumblatt reportedly informed his circles that the policy of insisting on Hariri as the new prime minister will lead to “catastrophic consequences” on the security field, on him personally, PSP members, and the Druze in the Shouf, Alley, Hasbaya, and the western Bekaa.

According to Ya Libnan correspondent in the Shouf area this switch of position by Jumblatt amounts to a political suicide. Several members of his parliamentary bloc are elected in Sunni-majority districts and around 30 percent of the electorate in the Chouf is Sunni. Ya Libnan correspondent added that the maximum number of votes that Jumblatt can deliver is 6 ( out of 11) and this will still not guarantee success for the Hezbollah-led opposition candidate , unless other MPs of other parliamentary blocs switch too.

Discussion

12 comments for “Jumblatt switches position after mediation efforts fail”

Please respect the community. Comments that contain personal attacks or inappropriate language will be removed.

Anonymous

so just because the STL might be accusing Hezbollah and possibly Syria and Iran in the Hariri assasinations, the later go around and threatens MP’s to vote for their candidates or face death. Now does this sound like an innocent party? Now and more than ever I wish the Israelis destroy Hezbollah, Syria and Iran. I would rather live next to an Israelis than these scums.
http://www.cadmeia.com Hannibal

What a shame!
Anonymous

Im not lebanese just reading the news here in english. Was it the guy and his people the druze who fought hezbollah in 2008? If so, then he is not a liar who betrayed his own people… Congrats buddy, good job! People like you in Europe as politicians would fall and get forgotten in a day and for good!
- http://pulse.yahoo.com/_PHMAZBQQCQEDM5G4GFGC62RRGI fado
  
  Well, he did not stand up to them. We the people did in 2008. He actually called for us to lay down the weapons and let them in. He is protecting himself not us. I’m druze, and I used to follow him. He forgot that we rather die than bow down. He does not speak for us anymore.
  
  I hope hamadeh breaks off and forms his own party. We need another leader. Actually, we need to get rid of all of them, but until that happens, we need someone to represent us.
  - Anonymous
    
    The issue in Lebanon is we are divided by sects each leader acts for his religs sect. We need MPS who will act for the people as a whole, a health MP for the health of the Lebanese A president for the Lebanese and a second in charge for the Lebanese not for Druze or Christians or Sunni or shiite. Each position is for the LEBANESE PEOPLE AS ONE.
    If hezbulla is working for the Lebanese why do they have to speak to Syria Or Iran.
    We need to fix our problem in Lebanon.The problem in Lebanon is this people say i’m Druze or Christian or what ever, what happened to I AM LEBANESE .
Anonymous

Not a surprise move from Walid Beyk! Actually I was expecting it. He put himself in a very difficult position…Good Luck for him because I see his days as numbered!!! A traitor yesterday and a traitor today…
At the end of the day who has weapons will be triumphant unfortunately. The gun has the last word in Lebanon and Hizbullah has its guns pointed at the Lebanese so that they can dictate their will.
- Anonymous
  
  every single so called leader in Lebanon is a traitor- shiites of Nasrallah and Berri, druze Arslan, to Iran and Syria, druze Jumblatt and christian for Aoun always been to anybody who gives them money and secures thier positions , sunni groups to Saudi Arabia…..all of them sold out Lebanon. All the NON traitors were killed because they stood up to outside influence (ex: Raymond Edde, Rafic Hariri, Kamal Jumblatt, Rashid Karami, Moussa Al Sadr…), refused their money and refused to see Lebanon as a bunch of “collective tribes” ….what a shame for the Lebanese, what a shame for Lebanon that we now have leaders that do not have the courage to stand up for the belief in a Lebanon for all! The people are to blame just as well for being willing to follow such leaders.
guss043

we will not let them sell the blood of the inocent Hariri and all the men with him , Joumblatt shame on you selling Marwan Hamade so cheaply, your most loyal person was almost assassinated by the Syrian and Lebanese Guard Hamdan and Sayyed .SHAME on YOU ,hope the DRuze kick your ass , your father at least never bowed down, but you rather see the Sunni and Christian disappear and to lose your gain in the mountains , all this because you realized that the Chrstian are gaining bit of power so yo backed off !!!!
Anonymous

i guess they paid lots of money or they threaten your life or both?
why are you supporting the killers of your father
Anonymous

This is no surprise!
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_PHMAZBQQCQEDM5G4GFGC62RRGI fado

All lebanese are sellouts. The leaders are sellouts for selling the country for their own purpose, and the people are selling the country for supporting them knowing that they are sellouts.

There is civil war coming. And it is about time. Nothing will disarm hizbollah but a civil war.
JadM

guess what guys, that proves our democratic system is a failure. You can only have democracy if you have sovereignty….which we don’t . The army should take over the country till the STL finishes its job and this madness stops at one point. The scenario that forced Hariri the father to approve the extension of Lahoud is repeating itself with his son. If my memory serves me well this eventually lead to a lot of catastophies…hariri being assasinated was one of them…lets hope that I am wrong. Allah Yistor

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