Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi said on Sunday that the Lebanese people were tired of political practices whose instigators sometimes seek a package-deal.

 

During his speech, the prelate reiterated his criticisms of Lebanese MPs who "are failing to perform their constitutional duty to elect a president."

 

The Patriarch said that the Constitution states in both Articles 73 and 74 that the president must be immediately elected, "thus no constitutional right can justify the current blocking, especially that the results would be destructive to the institutions and state economic conditions, in all sectors."

 

"Indeed, the absence of a head of State paralyzes the work[of the state] and generates chaos and corruption," Rahi pointed out.

 

He called for the return to the National Pact and the Constitution to elect a president.

 

"The President should be empowered to assume the responsibility of rebuilding the state and its institutions, on the basis of the Constitution and the national pact," he added.

 

Patriarch Rahi hoped that the ongoing efforts would lead to an agreement on the next head of state and to a presidential election during the parliamentary session scheduled on the 31st of October.