Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai raised concerns about the underlying motives behind the prolonged presidential election deadlock during his address at the opening of the Synod of Bishops of the Maronite Church.
He emphasized that, according to the Constitution, “Lebanon cannot remain without a president,” noting that the leadership vacuum has persisted for a year and a half.
Patriarch Rai highlighted that Article 73 of the Constitution mandates the election of a new president two months before the end of his predecessor’s term.
He asked, “What are the reasons for this presidential vacuum, especially as South Lebanon is threatened with war and the borders of Middle Eastern countries are being redrawn, namely between Lebanon and Israel on the one hand and Lebanon and Syria on the other?”
