The Minister of Interior in the caretaker government, Bassam Mawlawi, stated that "Lebanon continues to experience multiple crises, economic, social, and security-related, which have intensified since the Beirut port explosion two years ago, culminating in over ten sessions of the Parliament without electing a president for the country, thus placing Lebanon in an unprecedented presidential void." Mawlawi made these remarks during a television interview, confirming that "the Beirut port incident was extremely unfortunate, a crime that led to a very high number of victims and injuries, and destroyed nearly half of the capital." He added, "The investigations into the port incident must be followed up thoroughly, as the investigations have not taken the correct path since their inception until now, and they are currently stalled. I have previously stated that the investigation into the port explosion is detained between politics and judicial mismanagement concerning the explosion file."
He continued: "The number of lawsuits against the judge overseeing the port explosion case is exceedingly high, and the meeting of the heads of the Court of Cassation has not been completed, which practically disrupts the investigation. This is regrettable for Lebanon and its reputation, as well as for the Lebanese judiciary, which appears incapable of completing the investigations on one of the most significant files it has faced."
Mawlawi noted that "the people have suffered greatly from politics, politicians, and the political class as a whole, and we do not accuse everyone of corruption or wrongdoing. However, Lebanon needs wise political leadership, such that at the helm of Lebanon is a leader for all Lebanese, not necessarily a leader for a faction, and should not be a leader of a majority or minority against the Lebanese people."
Mawlawi stressed that "the Lebanese can no longer tolerate these conditions, and we cannot repeat previous experiences. We have reached an unprecedented economic collapse and a significant decline in the value of the national currency. There is no doubt that we need exceptional political leadership, a leadership that protects the judiciary, continues the protection of the army, and safeguards the security forces, and this leadership should reassure all Lebanese, not just some of them. The way out of the presidential void crisis in Lebanon is through applying the text and spirit of the constitution in an effective manner rather than a disruptive one, so that the deputies, who are mandated by the constitution to elect the president of the republic, approach the parliament with the intention of electing the president, not with the intention of obstructing what another party or team proposes."
Regarding the banking crisis, he clarified that it "is due to a very long accumulation of crises, and the Ministry of Interior is not the cause of this crisis. The solution lies in financial and economic analysis and intervention, and the solution to the banking crisis is not with the Ministry of Interior. There are depositors demanding their rights in some form, which is not a spontaneous issue, and I have previously stated that it may be orchestrated. The evidence for what I say is the clear calls on social media to storm the banks multiple times. However, if there is an intention for this crisis to cause a social explosion, the Lebanese have proven that they do not want a social explosion, and meddling with security is forbidden."
