One year without a president: Lebanon's ongoing crisis of governance

It has been a year since the presidential vacuum in Lebanon, which was not expected to last a year nor to exist at all if it weren't for the manipulation of the constitutional texts that should be strictly followed based on constitutional articles 49, 73, 74, 75.

However, it seems to be a deliberate game to rule the country without a president and control the reins of power without accountability.

This article was originally published in and translated from the Lebanese newspaper Nidaa Al-Watan.

The parliamentarians, the foundation of the democratic process, were supposed to convene as an electoral body on the tenth day "preceding the end of the president's term." Since that did not happen, there is no obstacle for the parliament to convene as an electoral body at any time and place to elect the president.

The parliamentarians, especially those who played a role in obstructing the quorum, have contributed to erasing the Christian position, which is supposed to be one of the pillars of the nation. Removing the presidency from the governance is equivalent to erasing the Christians from the Lebanese equation and thus considering that the country can continue without a president and Christians.

No one downplays the seriousness of the matter or places it in the context of a fake "democratic game" because it is a dangerous issue that raises the question on the brink of a precipice: Is the Christian presence in Lebanon threatened? Is it a matter of existence or disability?

Any negligence by Christian parliamentarians in electing a president is considered a blockade, and this is no longer acceptable. The absence of Muslim parliamentarians from the session means forsaking the national covenant and breaking the partnership with the Christians. The current situation no longer tolerates gray positions.

Based on Article 49, constitutional legislator Hassan al-Rifai says, "Deliberately preventing the election of the president is similar to disabling the (parliamentary democratic-republican) system and overturning it."

Therefore, confronting deliberate obstruction is done by applying the theory of "exceptional circumstances" they are currently hiding behind to rule without a president.