President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Saad Hariri are set to meet Thursday to discuss the latest developments in the Cabinet deadlock and the addition of an article to the draft 2019 state budget.
The article in question would officially employ Civil Service Council applicants who had passed their exams but have yet to be hired due to political squabbling over the sectarian makeup of the civil service.
The article was included in Cabinet’s draft budget, but a political source said that it was removed during Parliament’s four-day session last week.
{"preview_thumbnail":"https://cdn.flowplayer.com/6684a05f-6468-4ecd-87d5-a748773282a3/i/v-i-3…","video_id":"350c98f0-f33d-451b-bdc3-79b4bc5c9dfe","player_id":"8ca46225-42a2-4245-9c20-7850ae937431","provider":"flowplayer","video":"Houthis Claim Responsibility of Drone Attack on Saudi Airbase"}
The source said adding the article to the budget “is a violation of the Constitution, because there is a clear separation of executive and legislative authorities."
"[The article] was then added after the session. And the decision to appoint employees by the state is an executive one and to be made by Cabinet, not Parliament," he added.
Aoun is also set to ask Hariri when he plans to call for a Cabinet meeting, as it has yet to meet since last month's Qabr Shmoun incident.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
