The media office of the Lebanese Forces party stated in a statement that "the Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri said in an interview with the newspaper 'Asharq Al-Awsat' that 'consultation is the mandatory path to complete the presidential election, and it is necessary first, second, and third; otherwise, what is the way to get the presidential election out of the vicious cycle?' In response to this position, we confirm to Berri and those concerned that the consultation Berri refers to, a dialogue table chaired by him, is not mandatory as he claims, as there is no constitutional text that makes 'consultation the mandatory path.' We hope that Berri and others will commit to the constitution and its texts."
The statement emphasized that "consultation on the presidential entitlement has been ongoing since before the presidential vacancy, but this consultation has faced and continues to face a wall of obstructing election sessions on one hand, and insistence on a single candidate on the other hand despite the inability to elect him." It affirmed that "the way to get the presidential election out of the vicious cycle is very simple: Berri should call for consecutive electoral sessions until a president is elected, and Berri's deputies and the deputies of the opposition must commit to participating in all sessions and abandon the obstructionist approach."
The Lebanese Forces confirmed that "the only mandatory path to completing the presidential entitlement lies in adhering to the constitution, not overturning it, and it reiterates its support for the moderation initiative and the behind-the-scenes consultation that led to the maturation of the consensus on military extension and parliamentary recommendations regarding the illegal Syrian presence, and the consultation among deputies between each electoral cycle."
