SW News: The head of the Maronite Church in Lebanon has criticized the attempt of the parliament to elect a new president which ended in a fiasco. On Sunday, June 18, Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi dubbed the failed attempt as a “farce after eight months of vacuum”.

The cardinal said Wednesday’s parliamentary session was a “cold-blooded violation of the constitution and the democratic system”. He also added that it further deepened the rifts in the country at a time when it needed to bolster its internal unity.

Cardinal Al-Rahi urged the authorities to rectify their errors and take the needs of the country and all its citizens into consideration. The political stalemate resulted after the Christian leaders rejected the bid of presidential candidate Suleiman Frangieh, who enjoys the support of the Hezbollah and the Amal Movement.

Metropolitan Elias Audi of Beirut of the Greek Orthodox Church said an “evil hand was manipulating Lebanon and tossing it around, caring only about the interests of those who have enslaved themselves to serve evil”.

The Greek archbishop said in his homily on Sunday that parliament’s 12 unsuccessful attempts to elect the president were “futile attempts preventing the salvation of the country, which could not be a homeland for all its sermons.” He asked how could a nation be constructed if lawmakers cannot respect the constitution and democratically elect a president.

Both the Iran-supported Hezbollah and the Amal Movement rejected the candidacy of Michael Mouawad who enjoyed the support of Christian forces during eleven electoral sessions. They said that he was a provocative candidate.
The nation has been witnessing political instability, which is affecting the stability of the country as well. In the absence of a stable leadership, Western powers are reluctant to send aid to Lebanon. The Maronite patriarch is a powerful voice for peace, reconciliation and rebuilding of the nation whose economic crisis worsened after the devastating Beirut Port blast in 2020.