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Informations : Vie politique libanaise

Professor Chibli MALLAT annouces bid for Lebanese Presidency

[Read in Arabic - Article from An Nahar, click here>

[Read in English - Article from the Financial Times, click here>

[Read in French - Article from L'Orient - Le Jour, click here>
[Read in French - Article from L'Orient - Le Jour, click here>

[Read on Mallat.com - Articles, click here>

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Restaurer la Constitution

(Orient le Jour - 15 novembre)

Le débat sur la présidence est engagé, et le commentaire remarquable de M. Jean Issa dans L’Orient-Le Jour du 8 novembre montre que la rationalité démocratique, dont une des formes est le débat constitutionnel informé, commence à prendre le pas sur le blocage politique. M. Issa m’a très bien entendu : la place de la présidence est vacante en droit. Elle l’est au vu du principe démocratique d’alternance au sommet, que notre pays connaît depuis plus de 150 ans. Elle l’est au vu de l’art. 49 de la Constitution, qui ne peut être changé sans dénaturer la Constitution de tout sens.Elle l’est au vu du droit international, et spécifiquement de la résolution 1559, qui stipule en deux lieux que l’élection présidentielle ne peut être faite sous pression ou même influence étrangère. Or, les révélations du rapport Melhis et la reconnaissance par M. Farouk el-Chareh lui-même de la sinistre rencontre du 26 août ne laissent aucun doute, s’il en restait, sur la coercition exercée donc en contradiction ouverte avec la résolution 1559. On se souvient que la résolution date du 2 septembre 2004, la prolongation du mandat Lahoud du 3 du même mois.

Également juste et nuancée est sa position sur la comparaison avec le contrat (Jean Issa soulignait dans son article qu’« un contrat, la prorogation, conclu sous la contrainte ne vaut strictement rien », NDLR). Le doyen Vedel, je crois, prévenait les juristes contre la confusion de différentes logiques en droit privé et en droit public. Il faut faire avec certaines conséquences des violations du droit public, et la remise des choses en l’état n’est en général pas possible dans la vie politique, qui continue. De fait, remise des choses en l’état est impossible surtout eu égard aux conséquences graves des grandes violations telles que celle du 3 septembre qui le prouve, car elle entraîne mort d’homme.
Le poste de la présidence est donc vacant, et M. Lahoud usurpe le pouvoir présidentiel. Il ne tient qu’à nous, et à nos députés, de restaurer notre Constitution interrompue.

Chebli MALLAT
Professeur à la faculté de droit de l’USJ

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Chibli Mallat believes he's the man for the job
'The continued presence of lahoud in power is a risk on the stability of the country'

By Rym Ghazal - Daily Star staff

BEIRUT: Chibli Mallat, who officially announced his candidacy for the presidency last Thursday, has no doubts of his merit: "I believe I have more to offer to my country and the region than any other Maronite candidate."

While several names have been passed around for the country's top post over the past weeks as the pressure on President Emile Lahoud mounts, Mallat is the first to have officially put himself forward for the office.

"I want to force the issue as the continued presence of Mr. Lahoud in power is a risk on the stability of the country," he said, adding: "This needs leadership which is being offered in this open and structured bid."

Mallat, an attorney best known for his advocacy of human rights issues, said it is a "right" that any citizen in a democracy like Lebanon can strive for an elected position such as the presidency; a right which he admits has long been a personal yearning.

"It is healthy when every single kid in Lebanon believes he can become president," he said, adding: "Of course [in Lebanon] there is the sectarian issue" by which only a Maronite Christian can become president, as set by the Constitution.

Mallat says that he first decided to run for president in September, 2004; September 3, to be exact, "when Lebanese democracy was severely undermined by the forced extension of Lahoud."
"I took a stand then against it. It is continuing, and Mr. Lahoud is not stepping down," he said. "I have learned it is not sufficient to stand up negatively, i.e. 'the president must go home.' One needs to be positive and offer leadership when it is needed."

"I believe I needed to offer this leadership openly," he said.

In addition to heading the Mallat law firm, the presidential hopeful is EU Jean Monnet Professor of Law and director of the Center for the Study of the European Union at Saint Joseph University in Beirut. He is also a senior fellow at Yale University's Schell Center.
Mallat believes that a presidential campaign must go through two stages: first, a campaign for the public, "an open one."

"I want first to let the public in, to engage a civilized debate that creates a buzz in the country. This is key to success," he said. "We will see about parliamentary blocs afterwards, which is another campaign at a later stage."

"First things first: the Lebanese public in," he said.

As for the current campaign by local politicians for president Lahoud's resignation, Mallat said that the president doesn't have any choice in the matter.

"Mr. Lahoud has no business making any choice whatsoever; it is an outrageous idea that he can even think of it. He has already so much to answer for, including all our dear friends and colleagues who were killed or were maimed because of his unconstitutional, unconscionable extension," he said.

While no official announcement has been made that a presidential campaign in under way, according to the candidate, public reaction to his candidacy has been positive.