Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel-Latif Derian. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Lebanon's top Sunni cleric urged Parliament Tuesday to elect a new president "as soon as possible," calling the country's now two-month presidential vacancy "dangerous."
In a message addressed to the country's muftis, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel-Latif Derian urged members of Parliament to "decide the issue of the presidential election as soon as possible," adding that "the country and its citizens can no longer bear the vacancy that is destroying all components of the state."
He also called for "the election of a president who will care for the rights of all Lebanese, who will stay away from regional axes and maintain good relations with the Arab brothers."
"The presidential vacancy is dangerous and we reject it," Derian said.
He added that "the main door to find a solution to save Lebanon from collapse is dialogue, in order to overcome the politics of cake-sharing and personal interests."
Since former president Michel Aoun's term ended Oct. 31, Lebanon has had no president and no fully empowered cabinet. Parliament has failed to elect a new head of state despite holding 10 sessions for the purpose since September.