Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi urged the political factions on Sunday to come together and to “seriously” take into consideration the new initiative aiming at ending the presidential vacuum.
“We reiterate the call on all political blocs to converge and study seriously the initiative, and to hold talks in order to elect a president,” said al-Rahi during Sunday mass.
“The country can no more tolerate the obstruction in the work of constitutional institutions. The state is facing the threat of collapse at the economic, monetary, social and security levels,” he added.
“Today, after a year and seven months, the political and parliamentary blocs have failed so far to carry out their national duty and elect a president with an internal decision. Today a serious initiative from abroad is at hand,” he stressed.
Rahi's comments come amid a flurry of political talks in the country that followed a Paris meeting between Franjieh and al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri. The meeting sparked intense speculation that the two leaders agreed to the nomination of the Marada chief for the presidency.