Senior cleric demands fresh Lebanese presidential election Vacuum in central bank governance may lead to chaos, political analyst says BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Bechara Al-Rahi has accused Lebanese officials of “causing problems and then seeking to solve them in a way that violates the constitution,” in a sermon on Sunday In his address, Al-Rahi expessed regret over “what the majority of officials are doing by destroying the political work without any conscientious deterrent or consideration for the internal and external public opinion.” His remarks came as concerns grew that the Lebanese central bank might be left leaderless amid a deep financial crisis. The fate of the Banque Du Liban’s governance is unclear, as the term of Riad Salameh, the current governor, ends later this month. The Cabinet cannot appoint a successor amid the country’s current presidential vacuum, which has been ongoing for nine months. The central bank’s vice governors have threatened to quit if no successor is appointed, despite Lebanon’s code of money and credit stipulating that the first deputy governor should assume the main role in the event that a governor cannot be appointed by the president. In the past few days, many ideas on how to resolve the issue have been proposed, including the Cabinet being allowed to appoint a new governor. Christian parties, however, have rejected such a solution, saying it could prompt a new political-sectarian conflict by showing that the country can be managed without a president, with practical management left to the speaker and prime minister. One political analyst told Arab News that a void in the central bank’s governance would lead to chaos. “The political forces don’t have the luxury to pull strings amid the expiration of the governor’s term at the end of July,” said the analyst. “Manipulating this critical position will lead to dramatic impacts that will directly affect the life of the Lebanese, their institutions and banks, and might steer foreign countries and banks away from dealing with Lebanon financially. “This will raise questions regarding Lebanon’s position in the global financial system,” the analyst added. MP Ghassan Hasbani — a member of the parliamentary finance and budget committee — said that the vice governors’ threat to resign and not carry out their duties was a dereliction of duty. “They are obliged to follow up their work and they have a personal responsibility that’s subject to legal prosecution, which might lead to imprisonment,” he said. Hasbani, who is a Lebanese Forces deputy, said that “amid the absence of a president, the caretaker Cabinet should not violate the constitution by appointing a new successor to Salameh.” He said his party was looking into the possibility of filing an appeal before the Shura Council in case the Cabinet sought to appoint a new governor. Hezbollah avoided discussing the matter of the central bank’s governance publicly, but central council member Sheikh Nabil Kaouk warned: “Lebanon is going through a critical and exceptional situation that requires responsible and courageous decisions to rescue the country, stop the collapse and alleviate the suffering of the people.” Kaouk added: “This can only be achieved through dialogue, agreement and convergence of ideas. “However, refusing to hold a dialogue means that they are insisting on disrupting the country, aggravating the situation, and wasting time and opportunities. This is what led the country to a state of stagnation.” Al-Rahi’s remarks on Sunday pre-empted any attempts by the Cabinet to appoint a new governor. He accused it of turning “the non-legislative parliament into a legislative body — although it has been a mere electoral body since the beginning of the presidential vacuum,” adding that the Cabinet had granted itself “presidential powers to carry out presidential appointments.” He added: “You are creating a constitutional conflict that is adding to the ongoing political division … The one and only necessity, and the key to solving all your problems, is to elect a president. “If you don’t do it, you are committing the crime of treason against the state and the people, knowing that treason is the mother of all crimes.” In remarks directed at MPs, Al-Rahi said: “You have two respectful Maronite candidates. So go to the parliament and elect one of them in conformity with the constitution. If none of the two were elected … you can then discuss with each other and find a third candidate.” He urged MPs to “stop wasting time while the institutions are collapsing one by one pending outside inspiration.” Parliament has already held 12 sessions that failed to elect a new president amid the political rift between Hezbollah’s bloc — the majority of which is represented by the Shiite MPs — and the opposition, which includes MPs from the Christian bloc, reformists and independents. During the last electoral session held in June, the competition was between Hezbollah’s candidate Sleiman Frangieh — head of the Marada Movement — and former Minister Jihad Azour, the opposition’s candidate.