Beirut / Naim Berjawi / Anatolia
Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi said Saturday that the upcoming parliamentary elections are an “opportunity for change and to defend the entity of Lebanon.”
The shepherd’s words came in the Easter message of Christian denominations that follow the Western calendar, in the patriarchal edifice in the town of Bkerke, north of Beirut.
Al-Rahi said: “We are betting with citizens of good will that the parliamentary elections will be held on time, and then the presidential elections, which is an opportunity for change.”
Parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held on May 15, amid expectations that competition will intensify in light of popular anger due to the economic collapse, as well as the reluctance of the Future Movement (the most prominent Sunni component) to participate.
The Maronite Patriarch added, “If the people do not notice the danger of the stage and choose the forces capable of defending Lebanon’s entity and identity (..) and restoring Lebanon’s Arab and international relations, then the people themselves bear the responsibility for the great collapse, not the political system.”
Al-Rahi pointed out that “Lebanon needs a national, sovereign, parliamentary majority that believes in the privacy of this country, the legitimate state, constitutional institutions and the Lebanese army as a single reference for arms and security, and the unity of political and military decision.”
Last week, the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Yemen returned to Lebanon, following an absence of more than 5 months, once morest the backdrop of a diplomatic crisis between Beirut, Riyadh and other Gulf capitals.
Gulf capitals, including Riyadh, say that Iran controls the institutions of the Lebanese state, through its ally, the “Hezbollah” (Shiite) group, which Tehran and the group deny.
For more than two years, the Lebanese have been suffering from an unprecedented severe economic crisis that led to a record collapse in the value of the local currency (the lira) once morest the dollar, as well as a shortage of fuel and medicine, and a rise in poverty and unemployment rates.
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