BEIRUT, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's parliament on Wednesday renewed its confidence in Prime Minister Nawaf Salam's government, granting it a majority of 69 votes out of 82 lawmakers present during a two-day session focused on government policy.
The vote came at the conclusion of a general session convened by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, which began Tuesday and extended into Wednesday. Of the 128-member parliament, 46 were absent, while nine lawmakers -- all from the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) -- voted against the government, and four abstained.
Berri called for a confidence vote after Gebran Bassil, head of the opposition FMP bloc, requested a no-confidence vote due to dissatisfaction with the prime minister's responses to parliamentary interventions.
Debates during the session focused on the issue of arms control under state authority, the disarmament of Hezbollah, and issues related to sovereignty, as well as economic and financial reform.
In his response to parliamentary critiques, Salam emphasized his government's commitment to continuing its work "despite challenges and obstacles."
"We remain committed and determined to pursue reform and recovery. We will spare no effort in rallying Arab and international support to pressure Israel to withdraw from Lebanese territories and halt its aggressions," Salam reaffirmed.
Salam's government was formed on February 8. A former president of the International Court of Justice, Salam was appointed to lead a cabinet tasked with steering Lebanon through one of its gravest political and economic crises in decades. ■
