Matar: Presidency Should Not Be Linked to Issues beyond Lebanon's Borders
Beirut Maronite Bishop Boulos Matar condemned on Tuesday the ongoing vacuum in the presidency, while hailing the recent rapprochements and initiatives that have been launched to end the dispute.
He said during a sermon marking Mar Maroun Day: “Our national dignity should not allow us to link the presidency to issues beyond our country's borders.”
On the initiatives, he noted: “Respecting the constitution does not mean neglecting the National Pact.”
The constitution will remain the “only guarantee” for the country, Matar went on to say.
“If we want to elect a president, we must also ensure that he has a country to rule,” stressed the bishop.
This also demands that the constitution and National Pact are respected.
“We hope that the presidential crisis will be resolved within weeks, not months,” he added.
Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor.
Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate have thwarted the polls.
Initiatives to end the deadlock saw Mustaqbal Movement leader MP Saad Hariri, of the March 14 camp, nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh, of the March 8 alliance, as president.
Lebanese Forces head Samir Geagea nominated his longtime rival Change and Reform bloc chief MP Michel Aoun as president as well.
These efforts have so far failed to elect a president after Hizbullah, Aoun's key ally, announced over the weekend that its lawmakers will not head to the polls unless an agreement is reached to elect the MP.
M.T.
G.K.
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