Maronite Patriarch rejects appointments in the absence of a president

In a decisive statement, Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi settled the ongoing debate: there will be no appointments in the absence of a president in Lebanon.

The discussion about appointing a chief of staff in the army, which was mentioned in Sunday's sermon, was misplaced, according to sources in Bkerke.

The patriarch's words hold significance as he knows what he wants, and his remarks were part of a sequence of ongoing vacuums on many levels, according to Bkerke sources. Those who wish to understand his message should interpret it in context.

The patriarch's stance serves as a clarification. It was a response to a press statement made by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who suggested that filling administrative vacancies, whether at the Lebanese Central Bank or in the army, should be done in the presence of a president.

The government is urged to exert pressure on the parliament to elect a president and not bear witness to a false reality or legitimize practices that circumvent the presence of a president. It should not open the door to legal and constitutional challenges regarding the legitimacy of its decisions.

"Why are we moving backward and accepting the void?" asked sources in Bkerke.

Meanwhile, legal experts are considering the management of the army in the absence of both the commander and the chief of staff.

According to Article 39, every officer has the right to command those of lower rank.

Furthermore, Article 21 of the Defense Law states that the chief of staff deputizes the army commander in his absence and exercises his duties and authority throughout his absence.

However, the army leadership holds a contrary view, asserting that only the chief of staff can deputize the army commander, as stipulated by the Defense Law. The same law does not mention any alternative option in the case of a vacancy in the army command and the absence of a chief of staff.