Al-Rahi slams MPs who walked out of presidential vote session
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Saturday criticized the MPs who walked out of Wednesday's presidential election session, saying they prevented the electoral process from taking its "constitutional and democratic course."
The walkout stripped the session of its quorum and prevented a second electoral round from taking place after Jihad Azour received 59 votes and Suleiman Franjieh got 51 in the first round. A candidate needs 86 votes in the first round to be elected president while only 65 are needed in the second round.
What happened "pained us, harmed our national dignity and made us ashamed in front of the global public opinion, especially that everyone is hoping for the election of a president in Lebanon so that it manages to get out of its crises," al-Rahi added
He also said that he does not prefer a candidate over another and that the new president must "be at the level of the challenges, topped by building domestic unity, reviving state institutions and beginning the needed and urgent reforms."
Source: Naharnet
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