Al-Rahi Urges Timely Elections under Any Law, Rejects 'Implicating Lebanon in Regional Axes'

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Friday called for holding the parliamentary elections on time and stressed the importance of sparing Lebanon the impact of regional conflicts.

“We categorically reject extension (of parliament's term) and elections must be held according to any current or new law, and laws must not be an excuse” for postponing elections, al-Rahi said at the Rafik Hariri International Airport upon his return from a 56-day tour of Latin America.

"We cannot say that the situation deteriorated because of my absence and of course we voice regret that the parties concerned have not been able to reach a new electoral law," al-Rahi stated.

He noted that this failure created a "major disappointment" and that it may be attributed to the lack of trust among the parties.

"We call for holding elections within the constitutional timeframe because Lebanon's feature is the rotation of power," the patriarch added.

Asked about the war of words over the electoral law between Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, al-Rahi said: "Christians are united and the conflicting viewpoints do not imply that there is a rift."

“There is no dispute among the Christian leaders and they are characterized by their free and diverse opinions,” he added.

“I do not accept claims that the ball is only in the court of Christians and a consensual electoral law is not only a Christian concern,” al-Rahi noted.

“We must restore our unity as Christians and Muslims and this is our wish amid these critical circumstances,” he went on to say.

Turning to the issue of Hizbullah's military involvement in the Syrian conflict, al-Rahi said: “The Baabda Declaration was firm in stating that Lebanon is a neutral country and no one must be allowed to implicate it in regional and international axes and we regret that it is being implicated against its will."

"We were honored by the things we heard about Lebanon while abroad concerning its role in peace and stability in this Levant and this is what we're working for," al-Rahi added.

Several officials submitted on Friday their candidacies to the upcoming parliamentary polls, including the FPM, the LF, the AMAL movement and the March 14 Independent MPs to avoid uncontested victories despite strong objections over the adoption of the 1960 electoral law.

The parliamentary electoral subcommittee failed on Monday to reach an agreement over a new electoral law and Speaker Nabih Berri did not set a date for a new session.

Failure to reach consensus over an electoral law has raised fears of a political vacuum in Lebanon. In absence of consensus, the other two alternatives are holding the polls according to the 1960 law or extending the term of the current parliament.

Last week, al-Mustaqbal bloc, the Lebanese Forces, MP Walid Jumblat’s National Struggle Front and March 14 alliance's independent lawmakers proposed a hybrid draft-law, which calls for 46 percent of MPs to be elected based on proportional representation and 54 percent under the winner-takes-all system.

Under the same proposal, Lebanon would be divided into 26 districts and six governorates.

But the members of the subcommittee that are part of the Hizbullah-led March 8 alliance expressed reservations on it along with March 14's Phalange Party.