Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri emphasized that "the election of a President for the Republic is the beginning of beginnings," pointing out the necessity to complete the presidential elections by June 15 at the latest, as "no one can know where the country is heading with the vacancy in the presidency." Berri's statements and positions came during his meeting with a large delegation from "Independent Gathering for Lebanon" at the second presidential office in Ain el-Tineh, which included independent Christian figures and elites.
Berri stated: "It is unacceptable for the Arab region to head towards understandings and harmony while we are internally drifting away from our unity, our rights, and our constants regarding unity." He stressed the need to preserve civil peace and rejected the settlement or integration of displaced persons. For the Speaker, "the root of our problems lies in the deep-seated sectarianism in all aspects of our political life and in all facets of the state." He sees an urgent need to work towards an electoral law outside the sectarian framework, based on proportional representation according to larger electoral districts, and to establish a Senate. He called for the implementation of what has not been enacted from the Taif Agreement, especially its reformist articles, considering that "if the Taif Agreement is applied, it paves the way for Lebanon to move towards a civil state gradually," particularly with regard to implementing expanded administrative decentralization and approving women's quotas in any electoral law.
Regarding the governorship of the Central Bank of Lebanon, Berri stated, "We do not accept, nor should we accept, the selection of a governor for the Central Bank of Lebanon without the President having a say in this matter, and the same applies to the position of Army Commander." He hoped that the sense of danger arising from the vacancy in the governorship of the Central Bank would motivate all parties to eliminate all obstacles preventing the election of a President as soon as possible.
For his part, the delegation was represented by former MP Abdullah Farhat, who stated: "We discussed with Berri the need to elect a President for the Republic and put an end to the void and constitutional obstruction that negatively affects the national pact exercised by some Christian parties for factional purposes." The delegation conveyed to the Speaker the concerns of Patriarch Bechara Raï about the prolonged vacancy, the spread of chaos, and the collapse of constitutional institutions, which could be part of a scheme leading to altering the balance of the Taif system, forcing Christians once again to make more constitutional concessions and abandon parity.
Earlier in the day, the Speaker received the Finnish Ambassador to Lebanon, Anne Meskanen, where they discussed general conditions and bilateral relations. Berri also reviewed the latest political developments and legislative and developmental issues during his meeting with MP Jihad Al-Samad.
