Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati received by the head of the Maronite Church Bechara al-Rai in Bkirki, Oct. 6, 2022. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati on Thursday, following his visit to the Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai, defended himself of any "sectarianism" in the government formation process which is still in a deadlock as his caretaker cabinet could be given the prerogatives of the president if a new head of state is not elected before the end of President Michel Aoun's term on Oct. 31.
The position of head of state is informally reserved, under the 1943 National Pact, for the Maronite community, while the government's presidency is given to the Sunni representative and Parliament speaker is reserved for a Shiite representative.
Mikati's statements come a few days after Rai pleaded for the formation of a "capable" government and criticized "constitutional interpretations" and discussions around "the transfer of prerogatives of the presidency to the government." President Aoun and Gebran Bassil, his son-in-law and head of the Free Patriotic Movement, which Aoun founded, have repeatedly spoken against the constitutional legality of a caretaker cabinet, chaired by a Sunni, performing the duties of the Maronite president in the case of vacancy.
"I told Patriarch Rai that I am the last one to talk about sectarianism in the government file," Mikati said after a 45-minute meeting with Archbishop Rai in Bkirki.
"I believe in the unity of Lebanon and the building of the state. We must avoid any dispersion and discuss instead what brings us together," he added. The prime minister-designate also said that "the unity of the rank is necessary at this time, especially to elect a new president, regardless of [him/her as a] person and the opinions of each party." He also stressed the need to "work seriously" to this end.
Lebanon is heading towards a potential presidential and governmental vacuum if no president is elected before Oct.31, as negotiations between Aoun and Mikati are stagnating due to a political tug of war. This double vacancy would be a first in Lebanon's history.
In the first parliamentary session to elect a new president last Thursday, Zgharta MP Michel Moawad won the most votes with 36 ballots naming him, aside from 76 protest votes — of which 64 were blank ballots and 10 were for "Lebanon." In the first round of voting, the minimum required votes for a candidate is 86. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berry has not yet set a date for the second round of voting, although he indicated that a second session should be held before mid-October.