MP Ashraf Rifi addressed House Speaker Nabih Berri on Tuesday from Dar El-Fatwa, saying that they want to elect a President for the Republic according to the Constitution. “Don’t trick us and push us toward dialogue to impose privileges on us that you obtained by force and want to legitimize legally, practically, or in writing,” he said.
Rifi went on to emphasize after meeting with Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian that “the country cannot continue unless the partnership is parallel.”
When asked about demanding from Berri a session to elect the President of the Republic, Rifi was adamant: “The Constitution is clear.” He said that it was required to call for the election of a President of the Republic two months before the end of any presidential term. “Our experience with dialogue is not encouraging, and by doing so, it is as if we are violating the Constitution,” he added.
Regarding the Qornet El-Sawda incident, Rifi emphasized, “Our primary role through the actions I have taken was to prevent the situation from escalating into a Sunni-Maronite confrontation. Unfortunately, there are parties who have an interest in that. We will always look for any way to prevent it from happening. The nation is based on pluralism, and we respect the Islamic-Christian partnership.”
