The Media Office of the Presidency issued the following statement: "Since the beginning of discussions to form a new government, various visual, audio, and written media outlets have alternately published news, analyses, and articles attributing positions, steps, and actions to President Michel Aoun that are, in reality, fabrications rooted in a misreading of intentions and speculative claims. This is part of an ongoing scheme to target the Presidency and the person of the president, suggesting a desire on his part to hinder government formation at times or to circumvent the constitution regarding the end of the presidential term at others.
Despite the statements issued directly by the president or through the Media Office of the Presidency, which refute all these falsehoods, some politicians and media figures continue to promote scenarios from their imaginations, aiming to cause further harm and mislead public opinion domestically and internationally.
While the Presidency typically chooses to overlook such insults and lies, clarifying its positions from time to time, some politicians and media figures have reached a point of inciting sectarian and confessional tensions through dubious calls to political and religious authorities to 'not remain silent about the dangerous tampering with the constitution and the Taif Accord, and any revolutionary adventures,' among other incendiary expressions that clearly reveal the intentions of those behind them, who seek to mislead and incite discord to serve their known objectives and to settle scores with entities supporting them both inside and outside Lebanon.
These entities have utilized them to undermine stability and further weaken the unity of the state, both nationally and in terms of security, after successfully exhausting the state economically and financially, leading to multiple facets of everyday crises. The Presidency emphasizes that everything published regarding the interpretations, explanations, and claims relating to the president’s positions and decisions, as well as the steps he intends to take before the end of his term, is a mixture of lies and slander that should not be taken seriously.
It reminds once again that the president expresses his positions personally or through the Media Office of the Presidency. The Presidency warns that some persist in disseminating false news and information, inciting sectarian and confessional tensions, misleading public opinion, and targeting the country's security and stability. These attempts have become transparent, and it is known who stands behind them, and it calls on the Lebanese people to be wary of the malicious intentions of those who are hired and responsible for the plethora of major crimes committed against the rights of the Lebanese. These same individuals, nonetheless, continue to cling to their dubious roles, with their past and present serving as clear evidence.
The Presidency affirms that President Aoun's positions regarding the formation of the new government are based on a steadfast conviction of the necessity to protect national partnership, maintain the constitutional framework, and create positive atmospheres that help confront the difficult circumstances the country is going through. Regarding the presidential election, the president, who swore an oath unlike any other official to uphold the constitution, has proven throughout his years in power his commitment to the constitutional texts, exercising his full powers based on them, and he has never once infringed upon his oath.
In the hope that this will put an end to the fabrications, lies, and concocted narratives rampant in media and certain political forums, it may be worthwhile to recall an old saying: 'It is the dishonorable individuals who attribute to the president what he did not say and burden him with sins he has not committed.'"
