Al-Rahi: Political Powers Must Tackle Real Reasons for Presidential Elections Failure

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Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi condemned the ongoing vacuum in the presidency and the political powers' failure to resolve disputes hindering the elections, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Saturday.

He said: “It is time for the concerned political powers to responsibly and bravely tackle the real reasons that are preventing the completion of quorum at parliament.”

Numerous electoral sessions have been scheduled and none but one were held due to the lack of needed quorum at parliament.

“We have reached an unacceptable stage in Lebanon whereby we are witnessing the fragmentation of the components of the state,” continued al-Rahi.

“It is as if this fragmentation is programmed, starting with the presidency, passing through the parliament and leading to the cabinet and all other public institutions,” he lamented.

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 have thwarted the elections.

Hizbullah announced earlier this year that it would boycott electoral sessions unless it receives guarantees that its candidate, Change and Reform bloc chief MP Michel Aoun, is elected head of state.

This stance has been heavily criticized by various members of the March 14 coalition and Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat, who blame Hizbullah and its main backer Iran of obstructing the polls.

Comments 5
Thumb cedar 23 April 2016, 09:32

The real reason is that March 8 are paid and controlled by Iran/Russian alliance and march14 are paid and controlled by Saudi/US alliance and there is no independent group in Lebanon anymore. When there is an independent political party that has 10 seats there will be a president tomorrow.

Missing humble 23 April 2016, 11:05

Real reason is that the Caporal is a megalomaniac madman who wants to become president even by destroying the whole country. He imposes his nomination and not elections. From the beginning he said : "I or nobody" but also said: "They will elect me and if they don't I will destroy everything and they will be forced to elect me". Wa7ad majnuun!!!

Missing humble 23 April 2016, 11:06

It is time for the Christians to learn that this majnuun is destroying the Christians.

Thumb chrisrushlau 23 April 2016, 16:33

Some Christians in Lebanon think some genii is going to come out of the bag and make Article 24 make sense. That's the problem with racism, it isn't supposed to make sense. Like Zionism in Palestine: Jews would be safer and their heritage more secure if they gave non-Jews equal rights so that everybody had a stake in the state. If Lebanon's Muslims, especially the more than half of the national population of all citizens that is Shia (according to Noam Chomsky for one), had a stake in the state, you'd have a president, no trash on the streets, and true stability.

Missing people-power 23 April 2016, 22:31

It would help if the Patriarch would himself state the reason for Presidential elections failure.

M14 attends the election and M8 doesn't attend the election. Can it get more simple than that?

Iran and Hezbollah don't want a president, plain and simple, and Aoun gives them Christian cover.