Beauty Contest

Here’s a little informal poll: For those of you who don’t know the difference between our candidates, which one, based only on looks only, appears more trustworthy/presidential?


Montage: Alarabiya

Rules: You have to be someone who really doesn’t know the difference between the candidates to play this game. For those of you who do know them, you can ask your workmates, partners, friends…I know many who are curious to see the answers.

PM Safadi?

Minister Safadi’s recent stance is due to Syria’s promising him the Premiership, says Albalad.

In case you have been wondering about the “Safadi” problem, where a March 14 loyalist decided with his 4-member parliamentary bloc to toe the line of the opposition and advocate a two third quorum, depriving the majority of its simple majority, Alabalad, a Lebanese daily, has this morning shed some light on the circumstances.

According to Albalad, Mr. Safadi has been secretly meeting with opposition leaders, and reached with them an arrangement where they would vote for him as a Prime Minister of a transitional government in return for not attending a 50 +1 Presidential voting session.

Albalad cites unnamed sources that a communication channel has been established between Mr. Safadi, a Sunni from Tripoli, and Syrian officials, through the help of an unnamed “former northern MP” (Najib Mikati ?).

But, also according to Albalad, the recent killing of MP Ghanem has caused serious rifts in his bloc. This of course explains the dissenting opinions his bloc partners have been making.

The question remains: When push comes to shove, which way will the Tripoli block go?