The head of "the Free Patriotic Movement," Deputy Gebran Bassil, stated in a statement that "February 8, 2024, is the day when the resigned government slaughtered the Taif Constitution." He remarked that "whoever proposed to the resigned government to appoint a first-class employee without the relevant minister has usurped a constitutional authority that belongs to the Minister of Defense according to Article 66 of the Constitution, and this is a criminal act punishable by imprisonment for no less than seven years according to Article 306 of the Penal Code." He also mentioned that this individual is responsible for their criminal actions before the Supreme Council for the Trial of Presidents and Ministers according to Articles 70 and 71 of the Constitution.
Bassil added, "Let’s see if there are at least 26 deputies, especially those who call for change and the rule of law, ready to submit a request for charges against him through a petition to the Parliament according to Law 1990/13." He continued, "It is also obvious that an appeal should be submitted to the State Shura Council against such a decision and decree issued without the signature of the relevant minister, and it is natural for the appeal to be accepted and the decision to be suspended and annulled immediately; otherwise, what is the meaning of having a Constitution, law, and State Council?"
He pointed out that "the Prime Minister, who made the suggestion, has slaughtered the Taif Agreement, and the participating ministers announced its death today. Anyone who covered this operation with implicit approval or glaring silence is an accomplice in the crime. To the religious authorities and sovereign parties that demand every day the election of a free and sovereign president, we ask: Where were you regarding these issues when your previous approvals and hidden participation, along with your blatant silence, have led this resigned government to commit such atrocious acts in the absence of the President?"
He further stated, "We talk to you, sovereigns, about the necessity of agreeing among ourselves to stop this massacre, while you make excuses that begin and never end. We talk about partnership, and you govern unilaterally. We talk about the charter and practice it, and you strike both together. We invite you to a genuine dialogue to agree on electing a president and to decide on the person, but you dismiss the president and appoint a first-class employee in his absence, legislating as usual without him. You claim to preserve the nation by committing such violations, and every day you destroy the state. You should know that every violation you commit is a nail in the coffin of the state, and that national partnership is the basis of national unity, which you strike daily."
He concluded: "The usurpation of the powers of His Excellency the President, Mr. President, is akin to the usurpation of public funds, and this is forbidden. The crime is not only the killing of a human being with a weapon; the greater crime is the killing of a nation with the Constitution."
