Bkirki Committee to Address Upcoming Presidential Elections

A committee of representatives of four major Christian parties held a meeting in recent days to tackle the Bkirki charter and are expected to discuss the upcoming presidential elections during another meeting, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Monday.

The attendees addressed during the meeting the “positive reactions” concerning the Bkirki charter.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi had unveiled early in February a treaty that calls for holding the presidential elections on time.

It also demanded that political powers adhere to the country's national pact and place national interests above personal ones.

The meeting was held in presence of representatives of the Phalange party, the Lebanese Forces, the Free Patriotic Movement, the Marada movement and Maronite Patriach Beshara al-Rahi's representative Bishop Samir Mazloum.

According to the daily, the committee, which was formed by the Maronite patriarchate based in Bkirki, will focus in its discussions during the upcoming meetings on the forthcoming presidential elections.

President Michel Suleiman’s tenure ends in May 2014, but the constitutional period to elect a new head of state begins on March 25, two months prior to the expiration of Suleiman’s mandate.