The Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi directed a call to the Lebanese people, the parliamentary candidates, and voters. In the call, Al-Rahi hoped that a new hope would dawn on Lebanon after the parliamentary elections taking place tomorrow, allowing citizens to feel that what comes after May 15 is different from what came before. He added, "But this wish remains contingent upon the density of the voting, good selection, and respect for democracy and the constitution after the elections, and the swift formation of a new government to avoid prolonging the caretaker period, which could negatively affect future entitlements."
He continued, "The Lebanese people are free to head to the elections tomorrow spontaneously and nationally, without interventions, financial inducements, or security threats. Dignity is synonymous with sovereignty, and the independence of decision-making stems from a sense of national responsibility rather than catering to one or another, or this or that state. O Lebanese people: shake off the dust of dependency, reclaim your vigor, liberate your decisions, and rebuild your state on the values on which it was founded, and which the fathers and grandfathers followed."
He added, "In the context of the elections, we demand that Lebanese regulatory institutions, along with Arab, European, and international observers, closely monitor the electoral process in all its details and immediately and directly report any errors, violations, gaps, or interventions should they occur, so they do not get diluted and lost in bureaucratic reports. We know the difficulties and complexities of the Lebanese situation, and we understand that change does not happen with a magic wand. Therefore, let these elections be the beginning of the straight path that leads Lebanon out of the abyss into which officials and politicians have led it and continue to do so until now.
It is strange that whenever the government considers a reform project, it targets the people and attempts to load them with the burdens of its measures without considering the difficult circumstances of the people." He said, "How can the poor give money, those in need pay taxes, and the hungry provide food? It is not permissible under the guise of reform to increase the people's misery. What is required today is for the state to give more to the people than the people give to the state. The people's right over the state is for it to bear its responsibilities, change its approach and performance, abandon the desire for revenge, and free itself from deadly hatreds.
The time has come for the state to save the people after the people had rescued and fought for its existence, diversity, identity, and dignity throughout history, even until recently. Regardless of the election results, the formation of the next government, and the type of reforms, the approach of adopting an active neutrality remains the pivotal solution that guarantees Lebanon's existence and preserves its independence, stability, and historical and national unity."
