Al-Rahi: How Can a State Survive if Its Head is 'Severed'?

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi stressed Friday that the election of a new president is the solution to the country's crises, wondering if a country could survive without a head of state.

“The gateway to finding a solution to these crises and rifts is the election of a president for the republic. How can a state survive if its head is severed?” said al-Rahi in a sermon in Bkirki.

He warned that the protracting presidential vacuum is “paralyzing the work of parliament and obstructing the work of government, which is facing the possibility of a similar paralysis.”

“It is also preventing appointments in state institutions and violating the Constitution, the National Pact and the laws,” al-Rahi added.

The patriarch also warned that the presidential void is causing “chaos, economic decline and security deterioration.”

The presidential seat, the country's top Christian post, has been vacant since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014. Political disputes and electoral rivalry have prevented MPs from electing a successor.

The presidential vacuum is having a tough impact on the work of state institutions. The crisis has led to a suspension of parliamentary and governmental sessions and controversy over the appointment of top security and military officials.

Y.R.