The Daily Star - Judges Daher, Harakeh elected to Higher Judicial Council, May 8 2012

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Appeals Courts elected two judges Tuesday to the Higher Judicial Council; the remaining eight members will be appointed by the Cabinet.

Judges Antoine Daher and Suhair Harakeh were elected out of five candidates nominated for the posts. Daher received 24 votes and Harakeh got 23. There was one blank ballot while four ballots were not counted due to disqualification.

The council consists of 10 members: the head of the council, general prosecutor, head of the Judicial Inspection Department and seven other judges. Eight judges are appointed by the Cabinet while two are elected by the Appeals Courts.

Ministers have failed to agree on who should be appointed to the top post in the Council, which has been vacant for over a year following the retirement of Judge Ghaleb Ghanem.

The question of a successor to Ghanem has put President Michel Sleiman and Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun at loggerheads as each favors a candidate.

The delay prompted lawyers to hold a 24-hour strike in March in protest of the Cabinet’s failure to agree on a name.

The Cabinet will soon have to appoint a judge to replace General Prosecutor Saeed Mirza who will retire in July.

The head of the Judicial Inspection Department is Judge Akram Baasiri.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2012/May-08/172681-two-judges-elected-to-higher-judicial-council.ashx#axzz1uMmgVfAw