Al-Rahi: Presidential Vacuum Depleting State's Capabilities

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi lamented on Sunday the failure to elect a new president, blaming officials for the delay.

He said during his Sunday sermon at Bkirki: “The officials are depleting the capabilities of the state through failing to stage the polls.”

“We appeal to them, directly or indirectly, to elect a head of state,” he added.

“They are depleting the state, its constitutional institutions, and funds,” he remarked.

Moreover, al-Rahi said that the delay is also leading to the “depletion of the people through increased immigration.”

“The vacuum should not be exploited to create a substitute for the president,” he stressed in reference to the ongoing debate at cabinet over a government mechanism to tackle affairs in the absence of a head of state.

The patriarch explained that the constitution is clear in stipulating how the government should function in light of the presidential vacancy.

Lebanon has been without a president since May 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 presidential candidate have thwarted the polls.

M.T.