Aoun Meets al-Rahi: Maronite Leaders Must Cooperate with Bkirki to Choose New President
Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun held talks on Monday night with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on latest developments, especially the upcoming presidential elections.
Aoun said: “All Maronite leaders must converge around Bkriki to hold consultations and choose the most appropriate president for Lebanon.”
“Serious efforts must be exerted to reach Christian-Christian and Christian-Lebanese consensus,” he added after the meeting with al-Rahi at Bkirki.
On Tuesday, the Change and Reform bloc stressed the importance of electing a strong Lebanese president.
It warned against presidential vacuum, saying: “The greatest vacuum in Lebanon lies in extending the term of the president.”
The bloc made its remarks after its weekly meeting at Rabieh.
Commenting on the efforts to form a new government, the bloc cautioned against the formation of a cabinet with prior knowledge that it will not enjoy parliament's confidence.
“We know what type of government would gain parliament's confidence. A de facto cabinet would not enjoy its confidence,” it noted.
Moreover, it said: “There is no such thing as a neutral or technocratic government.”
President Michel Suleiman had proposed last week the formation of a cabinet able to stage the presidential election regardless if it does not enjoy parliament's confidence.
The March 8 camp rejected the suggestion, deeming it unconstitutional.
Suleiman's six-year term ends in May, but there are fears that the differences between the March 8 and 14 camps would lead to a vacuum in the country's top post.
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