A dispute on the sectarian quota system in public institutions grew this week against the backdrop of a decision to freeze the employment of candidates, who had passed the Civil Service Board exams, but had not yet been hired due to differences on the imbalance between Christian and Muslim applicants. Meanwhile, President Michel Aoun on Wednesday signed law number 143 relevant to issuing the 2019 state budget, finalizing the closure of accounts and providing required resources to the Court of Audit. The budget was published in the Official Gazette on Thursday. However, the President sent a letter to Speaker Nabih Berri, asking MPs to give a clarification on Article 95 of the Constitution, especially paragraph B. During the transition to a non-confessional state, the article states that sectarianism must be eliminated in hiring for state jobs, the judiciary and in military and security institutions. However, all sectarian groups should be represented in the cabinet and in senior state posts. Paragraph B stipulates that “the principle of confessional representation in public service jobs, in the judiciary, in the military and security institutions, and in public and mixed agencies shall be canceled in accordance with the requirements of national reconciliation; they shall be replaced by the principle of expertise and competence. However, Grade One posts and their equivalents shall be excepted from this rule, and the posts shall be distributed equally between Christians and Muslims without reserving any particular job for any sectarian group but rather applying the principles of expertise and competence.” Aoun said in his letter that the clarification request comes out of preservation of Lebanons national consensus and coexistence. Aoun and his son-in-law, Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, expressed reservations over the state budget’s Article 80, which calls for the employment of applicants for state positions despite the political dispute on sectarian imbalance. Political figures close to Aoun and Bassil called for the removal of the article for “breaching balances, agreements, and understandings,” especially for Christians. Former Interior Minister Ziad Baroud, who is a legal expert, described the budget’s Article 80 as a constitutional violation, telling Asharq Al-Awsat that any budget should be limited to the state’s financial affairs.