BEIRUT: In his Sunday sermon, Maronite Patriarch Beshara Al-Rai accused Lebanese officials of “stirring up problems and then seeking to solve them in violation of the constitution.”

In his speech, Al-Rahi expressed his regret over “what the majority of officials are doing by destroying political action without any conscious deterrence or consideration for internal and external public opinion.”

His comments came as concerns grow that Lebanon’s central bank could be left leaderless amid a deep financial crisis.

The fate of the BDL’s governance is unclear, as the term of office of Riad Salameh, the current governor, expires later this month.

The Council of Ministers cannot appoint a successor in light of the current presidential vacuum in the country, which has been going on for nine months.

Central Bank deputies have threatened to resign if a successor is not appointed, despite Lebanon’s Money and Credit Law which stipulates that the first deputy governor must assume the main role in the event that the President of the Republic is unable to appoint the governor.

In the past few days, many ideas have been proposed on how to solve the problem, including allowing the Cabinet to appoint a new governor.

However, the Christian parties rejected such a solution, saying that it could lead to a new sectarian political conflict by showing that the country can be run without a president, while leaving the practical administration to the Speaker of Parliament and the Prime Minister.

A political analyst told Arab News that a vacuum in central bank governance will lead to chaos.

“The political forces do not have the luxury of pulling the strings amid the end of the governor’s term at the end of July,” the analyst said.

Manipulating this critical situation will lead to dramatic effects that will directly affect the lives of the Lebanese, their institutions, and their banks, and may push foreign countries and banks away from financial dealings with Lebanon.

“This will raise questions about Lebanon’s position in the global financial system,” the analyst added.

Representative Ghassan Hasbani – a member of the Parliamentary Finance and Budget Committee – said that the threat of governors’ deputies to resign and not carry out their duties is a failure to perform their duty.

“They are obligated to continue their work and they have a personal responsibility that is subject to legal prosecution, which may lead to imprisonment,” he said.

Hasbani, a deputy for the Lebanese Forces, said that “amid the absence of a president, the caretaker government must not violate the constitution by appointing a new successor to Salameh.”

He said that his party is discussing the possibility of submitting an appeal to the Shura Council in the event that the Council of Ministers seeks to appoint a new governor.

Hezbollah avoided publicly discussing the issue of central bank governance, but Central Council member Sheikh Nabil Kaouk warned that “Lebanon is going through a critical and exceptional situation that requires responsible and courageous decisions to save the country, stop the collapse and alleviate its suffering.” the people.”

Kaouk added, “This can only be achieved through dialogue, agreement, and convergence of ideas.

However, refusing dialogue means their insistence on destabilizing the country, exacerbating conditions, and wasting time and opportunities. This has led the country into a state of recession.”

Al-Rahi’s statements, on Sunday, preempted any attempts by the Council of Ministers to appoint a new governor.

He accused it of transforming “the non-legislative parliament into a legislative body – although it was only an electoral body since the beginning of the presidential vacuum,” adding that the Cabinet had given itself “presidential powers to make presidential appointments.”

He added, “You are creating a constitutional conflict that adds to the ongoing political division… The only necessity and key to solving all your problems is the election of a president.”

“If you do not, then you are committing the crime of treason against the state and the people, knowing that treason is the mother of all crimes.”

Al-Rahi said in statements to the deputies: You have two respected Maronite candidates. He moved to the House of Representatives and elected one of them in accordance with the constitution. If neither of the two gets elected…then you can discuss with each other and find a third candidate.”

He urged MPs to “stop wasting time while institutions crumble one by one, waiting for outside inspiration.”

Parliament has already held 12 sessions that failed to elect a new president amid the political dispute between the Hezbollah bloc – which is mostly represented by Shiite deputies – and the opposition, which includes deputies from the Christian bloc, reformists and independents.

During the last election cycle, which was held last June, the competition was between Hezbollah candidate Suleiman Franjieh – head of the Marada Movement – and former minister Jihad Azour, the opposition candidate.