Mikati says Aoun’s govt. resignation decree 'lacks any constitutional value'

Caretaker PM and PM-designate Najib Mikati swiftly hit back Sunday at President Michel Aoun, saying that the decree that he issued to accept the caretaker cabinet’s resignation “lacks any constitutional value.”

“The government will continue to perform all its constitutional duties, including acting in caretaker capacity in line with the texts of the constitution and the laws that govern its work,” said Mikati in a letter to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

The caretaker government is “already resigned, as per the constitution’s stipulations,” Mikati noted.

He added that acting in caretaker capacity is a “constitutional duty,” leaving it to parliament to voice “any conflicting opinion” in this regard.

Aoun, who announced the decree in his farewell speech earlier in the day, has argued that the caretaker cabinet cannot assume the president's powers in the event of a presidential vacuum.