Patriarch Rai warns against disrupting quorum on June 14

Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Mar Beshara Boutros Al-Rai, commented during his Sunday sermon about the upcoming parliamentary session to elect president and warned :

“Let the political officials know that they cannot continue to neglect God’s will regarding the good of every human being, if they continue their wars and disputes, their pursuit of their personal and factional interests, and their neglect of their duties in terms of securing the basic rights of citizens and working for human growth and advancement.” and society.”

He stressed that “the Lebanese residents and emigrants, as well as other countries that love Lebanon, look to the next Wednesday, June 14th , the day when the MPs enter the parliament to elect a president of the republic, after an eight-month vacuum in the presidency, while the state is disintegrating, the people are starving, our elite are emigrating, and the world deplores this strange practice of politics in Lebanon.

He pointed out that “the people are waiting for the election of a president for the republic, and are praying for this goal, while the official talk, unfortunately, revolves around disrupting the quorum in the session, which cancels the democratic movement, increases the rift in the country, and plunges the state into deeper crises.”

His comments came after

MP Qassem Hashem , a member of Speaker Nabih Berri’s parliamentary bloc has criticized that supporters of Jihad Azour’s nomination and questioned their ability to secure his election as president.”

“So far we have not considered blocking the session’s quorum and the decision might be taken on that day”

Other MPs plan on waisting their vote by voting for non candidates or with blanc ballots

By convention, under article 49 of the Lebanese Constitution, a qualified majority of two-thirds of the members of the Lebanese Parliament is required to elect the president in the first round. If no candidate reaches that threshold, further rounds of election are held where an absolute majority of the members legally constituting the parliament is sufficient to elect the president.