Al-Rahi Warns of 'Consequences' if Polls Delayed, Urges U.N. Monitoring
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday issued a stern warning against any "tampering" with the spring parliamentary elections.
"We are keen on holding the parliamentary elections within the constitutional timeframes so that the change of dates, the amendment of the current law and the evasion of expat participation do not become excuses that would threaten the organization of the elections in defiance of the will of the people and the international community,” al-Rahi said in his Sunday Mass sermon.
He accordingly warned that “tampering with the issue of elections this time might lead to risks of unknown consequences.”
“The people want the elections as a chance to change their painful situations and a starting point for a new national life. The people want transparent and impartial elections away from political money,” al-Rahi added.
“That’s why, from now, we call for Lebanese and U.N. monitoring of the electoral process,” the patriarch went on to say.
Source: Naharnet
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