Beirut, December 3, 2022 (Xinhua) – Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati called today (Saturday) the political forces in his country to provide political will to elect a new president for Lebanon as soon as possible to complete the contract of constitutional institutions.
“Our country is currently experiencing a suffocating crisis that has repercussions on various sectors,” Mikati said in a speech during the inauguration of the 64th session of the “Beirut Arab International Book Fair” at the Beirut waterfront.
He continued, “What is required first and foremost is political will from the various political forces and currents to complete the contract of constitutional institutions by electing a new president of the republic as soon as possible.”
On the first of last November, Lebanon entered a period of presidential vacuum, with the end of the term of former President Michel Aoun, on October 31, without electing a successor within the constitutional deadline.
The Lebanese parliament failed 8 times during its sessions, from the end of last September to the beginning of this December, to elect a successor to Aoun, in the absence of consensus on the name of a figure who enjoys the support of a sufficient number of votes from the parliamentary blocs.
Mikati stressed that political will is also required to “complete the approval of reform laws before moving on to approving the final agreement with the International Monetary Fund, in order to secure the appropriate opportunity for the promised economic recovery.”
Lebanon and the International Monetary Fund announced on the seventh of last April that they had reached a preliminary agreement regarding financing in the amount of 3 billion dollars, to be spent over 4 years, and Lebanon pledged to carry out reforms.
On the other hand, Mikati praised the Beirut Book Fair, describing it as “a space for civilized encounter that has always distinguished Beirut for its embrace of writers and publishing houses, and for the space of freedom available for the ideas of its writers and intellectuals.”
The Beirut International Arab Book Fair will be held from 3 to 11 December, with the participation of 133 publishing houses, the majority of which are Lebanese, in addition to the participation of Arab houses from Egypt, the Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman and other foreign houses, most of which are French.