BEIRUT: President Michel Aoun said Sunday in a statement during Christmas mass that he will be working to end the vacuum in state institutions.
“We will be struggling... to fill the vacancies... in the authorities with competent personnel,” Aoun said in a brief statement following his meeting with Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai in Bkirki east of Beirut.
When asked by a reporter, Aoun did not specify when the much anticipated electoral law would be endorsed.
Lebanese parties are divided between adopting a proportional vote law or a hybrid electoral law, which includes aspects of the proportional and winner-take-all systems. The current 1960 winner-take-all system, which was used in the 2009 elections, divides the constituencies based on administrative districts.
The Free Patriotic Movement, Hezbollah and Amal Movement have been lobbying for a pure proportional law with Lebanon as a single constituency.
A hybrid law would blend the proportional and winner-takes-all systems with varying electoral constituencies.
Aoun then joined the First Lady to attend the Christmas morning mass.
This is the first time that an acting president has attended the Christmas mass after the 2-1/2-year presidential vacuum that ended with Aoun's election in October.
The service was also attended by former presidents and prominent Christian MPs and ministers.
However, Aoun's ally-turned-rival, Sleiman Frangieh did not participate in Bkirki's mass. This seems to be a continued escalation of the feud between the two Maronite leaders.
The antagonism started when Frangieh ran against Aoun in the presidential race.
Further contention surfaced during the recent Cabinet formation process.
Frangieh has refused to visit the Presidential Palace.
Meanwhile, Aoun refrained from speaking to Frangieh on the phone when Rai attempted to mediate between the two last Monday.
Later, Rai held a sermon during Christmas mass in which he congratulated believers on the occasion.
The Maronite Cardinal condemned corruption in state institutions and further denounced random appointments in public offices over sectarian backgrounds.
Rai also noted the presence of more than 2 million refugees in Lebanon, citing security and economic threats against Lebanon. He, meanwhile, expressed full sympathy for their suffering.
The patriarch urged state institutions and international organizations to ensure a proper solution to the refugee crisis and grant them the right to return to their homelands.
Rai also called on politicians to address the pressing social issues like poverty and the deterioration of living standards.
Following the Christmas service, Rai and Aoun received well-wishers before the president departed.
Hariri says vote for Aoun was to safeguard country
BEIRUT: Prime Minister Saad Hariri Sunday said that his endorsement of President Michel Aoun's candidacy was to safeguard the country and to prioritize its interests.
"I did what I felt should be done," Hariri told Al-Jadeed TV in an interview.
He pointed out that "anyone else would've favored his own interest, but we should always put the interests of the country at the top."
"No one is bigger than his country."
Hariri said that the important matter is to continue. "We should always look forward and learn from the past."
Hariri announced his support for Aoun earlier in October, paving way for the president's election and ending more than two years of vacuum at the country's top Christian post.
The PM formed his Cabinet last week and endorsed its policy statement on Saturday. The new government is expected to win a parliamentary vote of confidence next week after lawmakers discuss the policy statement in three consecutive sessions starting Tuesday.
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