The Maronite Patriarch, Bechara Rai once again warned against the danger of a presidential vacuum. In his opinion, failing to hold elections is a “national mistake that deals a fatal political blow to the consensus system upon which we rely.”
In his Sunday homily, the Maronite Patriarch emphasized the importance of Lebanon having “a President of the Republic enjoying full constitutional powers” and capable of “negotiating the implementation of resolutions 1559 on the disarmament of militias, 1680 on the demarcation of the border with Syria and 1701 that would ensure the neutrality of South Lebanon.”
“A president would ensure that Lebanon is no longer a launching pad for terrorist acts that compromise the security and stability of the region,” continued Rai, alluding to Hezbollah’s extraterritorial military operations and those of armed Palestinian factions on Lebanese soil.
“A president would ensure the neutrality of Lebanon, transforming it from a political reality into a constitutional reality,” he added. The Patriarch specified that neutrality is inherent to the nature of the Lebanese entity and its political system.
Bishop Rai also criticized another vacuum within the institutions, the one affecting the Military School. He explained that for the second consecutive year, students have not been admitted, “which compromises the continuity of all security institutions.”
“How can we call on our young people to join the state institutions when their doors are closed to them,” Bishop Rai deplored, calling on those responsible and the government to find a solution to open the doors of the Military School “so as not to find ourselves facing a vacuum that can be as dangerous as that of the presidency.”
