The Democratic Gathering bloc held a meeting in Clemenceau attended by Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt, bloc head MP Taymour Jumblatt, MPs Marwan Hamada, Akram Shahib, Bilel Abdullah, Hadi Abu Hassan, Wael Abu Faour, Faisal Al-Sayegh, Raji Al-Saad, and General Secretary of the Party Zafer Nasser. The meeting addressed various current issues, primarily the binding parliamentary consultations. A discussion took place regarding the outcomes of ongoing communications at this level, emphasizing the need to complete this constitutional obligation to form a productive and reformist government capable of addressing various crises promptly.
The bloc announced that it would nominate former ambassador Nawaf Salam to be tasked with forming the government, while reaffirming its choice not to participate in the upcoming government but stressing the importance of forming it without any delay or obstruction to focus on the difficult tasks ahead.
Additionally, the bloc underscored the legitimacy of the demands raised by public sector employees, who have become the weakest link amid the enormous living burdens. Meanwhile, the bloc highlighted the necessity of ensuring that the open strike by employees does not impact vital services directly affecting citizens in essential sectors such as health, medical care, agricultural goods at the Port of Beirut, and legal crossings, as their disruption would primarily affect farmers and various citizens.
Furthermore, the bloc renewed its demand for the relevant military, security, and customs authorities to work diligently to stop the ongoing smuggling to Syria, reminding of the judicial reports previously submitted and calling on the judiciary to assert its independent authority and take action to halt this damaging drain on the economic lifeblood.
The bloc reiterated its support for the army and security forces through all available means and called for providing the necessary resources to support the resilience of military personnel and security forces in fulfilling their duties, while inquiring about the status of the assistance previously mentioned for the army, which has yet to materialize.
