Najib Mikati: Election of president marks beginning, not end, of reform journey

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati considered that "electing a president is not the ultimate goal, but rather the beginning of hope for reform and solution in the country."

Mikati's statement came after he met with the Grand Mufti of the Republic, Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan, at Dar Al-Fatwa in the presence of the directors of the affiliated institutions of Dar Al-Fatwa.

After the meeting, the Prime Minister said, "As is customary every year, and at the beginning of the blessed month of Ramadan, I visit Dar Al-Fatwa to extend congratulations and wishes to His Eminence and the virtuous, and to all Muslims, especially Lebanese in general."

"This month should be a month of goodness, blessings, peace, well-being, and peace of mind for all Lebanese. During the meeting, we discussed the general situation and all the conditions we are going through now," Mikati added. 

Regarding fears of widespread Israeli aggression on Lebanon, he said: "We are following communications with all concerned parties locally and internationally to keep war away from Lebanon despite all the suffering our country has endured so far, especially in terms of the number of martyrs to whom we salute, and God willing, things will not escalate beyond that."

As for the expectation of the president's election soon, he said, "I hope that the elections will take place as soon as possible, today rather than tomorrow because the election is necessary for the constitutional institutions to function properly and for the required reform process to begin."