At the beginning of the week, attention is directed towards four interconnected Lebanese issues: the budget, the government, the presidency, and border demarcation. The budget comes first, as it is a condition set by the Speaker of the Parliament, Nabih Berri, to determine the date for the presidential election session. The government is second, as it is the obligatory passage imposed by President Michel Aoun for his exit from the presidential palace in Baabda at midnight on October 31. The presidency comes third, with names beginning to be considered based on specific criteria. Finally, border demarcation is said by the designated Prime Minister Najib Mikati to be in an advanced stage, but the outcome is what matters most.
The four issues are closely interrelated. If the budget cannot be approved in the upcoming Tuesday session due to a lack of quorum in Parliament, leading to a postponement of the session to another date, this will result in a delay in calling the council to elect the new president, thus postponing the formation of the government and consequently affecting President Aoun’s smooth exit from Baabda at the end of his term, in light of explicit threats in this direction. Meanwhile, the border demarcation seems to be a primary driver in this context.
