Rai says responsibility to elect president 'not only on Christian leaders'

BEIRUT — Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai on Sunday said that the responsibility in electing a new president, traditionally a Maronite, does not only fall on Christian leaders. Rai's statement comes as Lebanon has been without a president since Oct. 31, when Michel Aoun's term in office ended.

During his Sunday sermon, Rai said, "If the president is a Maronite, his voters are not all Christians, and if part of the responsibility lies on the Christian leaders, the big responsibility lies also on others." Lebanon's Parliament, which elects the president, is divided equally between Muslims and Christians.

So far Parliament has met 11 times to try to elect a president, but has yet to succeed in the task. On Saturday, 46 Lebanese MPs said that they will boycott all forthcoming legislative sessions in light of the presidential vacuum.  

Rai addressed Lebanese politicians by saying: "What about your constitutional duties in electing a president? What about implementing the reforms demanded internationally? What about lifting your hands off the judiciary in order to pursue the [Aug, 4, 2020] port explosion investigation? What about the reforms demanded by the International Monetary Fund [IMF] and the state of law and the spread of illegal weapons?"

Lebanon has not yet implemented the reforms demanded by the IMF in exchange for a $3 billion loan which would also unlock financial aid from the international community while Lebanon's population continues to endure an unprecedented economic crisis that has seen the national currency lose more than 97% percent of its value in three years.

Bishop Audi calls for a comprehensive plan

Similarly, the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Beirut Elias Awdeh again insisted on the need to put an end to the presidential vacuum as well as to the power vacuum at the cabinet level. The latter has been serving in a caretaker capacity since May 2022 following parliamentary elections.

He asked in his Sunday homily: "Shouldn't those in charge re-evaluate their behavior and their positions and work to build a state that can welcome and protect its people?"

He also said that "the construction of the state begins with the election of a president and the formation of a government that works hard to activate state administrations according to a comprehensive plan of rescue and reform."

"If they are not able to do it, they should leave it to those who can," he added.