Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said that consensus is the basis for resolving the crisis of electing a new president for the country, stressing that consensus is a solution to all crises and establishes the remedies required by the economic and financial crisis, which does not discriminate between the Lebanese and plunged them all to catastrophic levels below the nadir.

Berri added - in statements to the Lebanese newspaper "Al-Jumhuriya" in its issue issued today - that the danger is very great, and the situation is descending from bad to worse, considering that the country has already reached the worst, stressing that it is unacceptable for the situation to remain as it is of collapse. The presidency of the republic may endure for a few weeks, but the country can no longer bear it.

Berri explained that he had previously called for dialogue, but some rejected this dialogue, indicating that he is now waiting for the dialogue of those who reject his dialogue, expressing his regret over what he described as the differences of those who reject dialogue, specifically the "Free Patriotic Movement" and the "Lebanese Forces", which are reflected in the whole country.

In response to a question about invitations to open electoral sessions, Berri said: “Let them please tell me who are the actual and real candidates that they are proposing, regardless of intentions and backgrounds. I see reason for that."

And he went on to say that holding open sessions to elect a president of the republic will not achieve anything in an atmosphere of incompatibility, considering that holding such open electoral sessions means paralyzing the parliament completely, stressing that this is something that is forbidden and cannot be accepted.

He explained that the parliament, with the opening of these sessions, becomes an electorate, and in this case it is no longer able to legislate, referring to the clear constitutional text regarding that when the parliament turns into an electorate, it can no longer exercise its legislative role, considering that this is not only disrupting the parliament. Parliament, rather it is a disruption to the country, especially since there are many matters that require their rapid approval in the General Assembly of the Parliament, specifically the Capital Control project, stressing that he will soon initiate an invitation to hold a legislative session to study and approve it.

When asked if there were attempts to obstruct the parliament, Berri said: "Apart from any attempts to obstruct, intentions, or backgrounds, they do not want consensus or elect a president for the republic, and they do not want the cabinet to meet and follow up on people's affairs and their necessary and urgent issues, and it seems that there are those who are trying their best." In order to obstruct the parliament's work and its role. The parliament, in light of the existing imbalance in Lebanon at the level of institutions, is the only existing institution.

And about what was reported recently about the presidential blockage and the parliament’s continued failure to elect a president, which raises the possibility of dissolving the parliament, Berri said: “These are just rumors. The current parliament is a few months old, and it has many roles and tasks to carry out. Nor do they believe in even the simplest requirements of the people, and even the municipal elections are at a loss as to what to do with them, how to prepare for them, and how to conduct them, knowing that these municipal elections do not take place if there is no president of the republic, so how is the situation with regard to a great merit such as the parliamentary elections?

Source: Middle East News Agency