Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Thursday that "the situation requires a quick emergency operation to save the country," stressing that the solution is to elect a president of the republic.
Mikati spoke at a press conference after meeting Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri at his headquarters in Beirut, according to a statement from Berri's office.
Mikati pointed out that "the meeting of the parliament's bureau (scheduled for Thursday) was postponed to refer some laws to parliamentary committees for study, so that the next parliamentary session will be productive at the level of laws."
Regarding his meeting with Berri, he said that "the views were in agreement, and stressed that the situation requires a quick emergency operation to save the country, as the government cannot play its role with a disabled parliament and with the absence of the election of a president of the republic."
Since last September, parliament has failed 11 times to elect a successor to former President Michel Aoun, whose term ended in October 2022, while the current government has continued to act as caretaker since parliamentary elections last May.
Who pays the price?
Mikati stressed that "the election of a president of the republic is necessary and it is the solution, and whoever criticizes what we are doing (the convening of the Council of Ministers in the absence of a president) should go and elect a president."
"We are faced with three options: either agree with the International Monetary Fund (on a loan to Lebanon), agree with each other, or not agree at all," he said. That's what we're doing."
"Who benefits if we don't agree?! The people are paying the price, and the political forces are responsible."
The International Monetary Fund warned on Thursday that Lebanon was in a very dangerous situation after a year of committing to reforms it failed to implement and urged the Lebanese government to stop borrowing from the central bank.
Since 2019, the Lebanese have been suffering from an unprecedented severe economic crisis, which led to a record collapse in the value of the lira, as well as the scarcity of fuel, medicine and other basic goods, in addition to the collapse of purchasing power.
Parliamentary blocs accuse Hezbollah deputies and its allies of obstructing the election of the president by voting with blank papers in the first session of each session and then withdrawing so that the quorum of the second session is not complete.
Hezbollah officials say they want "a president who does not stab the resistance in the back," declaring their support for the candidacy of Marada leader Suleiman Frangieh.