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Patriarch Rai suggests outgoing presidents should carry out duties until successor elected

28-08-2014 | 02:17

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Patriarch Rai suggests outgoing presidents should carry out duties until successor elected

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Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai proposed on Thursday that any future outgoing president should continue to carry out constitutional duties until lawmakers agree on a successor in order to avoid presidential vacuum.

Rai's comments were made from Beirut International Airport ahead of his visit to the Vatican whereby he is set to meet with Pope Francis and other senior officials.

“We have always said that the parliament must convene and elect a new president,” Rai added.

The visit reportedly aims at briefing the Vatican officials on the visit of a delegation from the patriarchs of the Orient to the Iraqi Kurdish region of Erbil and the latest developments regarding the presidential deadlock.

Islamic State militants in Iraq have been waging a campaign against minorities, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes.

Rai voiced regrets over the vacancy at the Baabda Palace, expressing hope that lawmakers would elect a new president during the parliamentary session scheduled for September 2.

Lebanon has been plunged in presidential vacuum since May this year when rival MPs failed to elect a successor to President Michel Sleiman over their disputes on a consensual candidate.

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