Lebanese patriarch warns against calls for postponing vote

Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, Bkerke, Lebanon, Oct. 30, 2021. (Reuters)
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  • Cardinal Bechara Boutros Al-Rai said he was surprised by Saad Al-Hariri鈥檚 boycott decision and said he hoped Sunnis would still take part so the election 鈥榚xpresses the position of all Lebanese鈥�
  • Cardinal Bechara Boutros Al-Rai: 鈥楪iven the importance of this parliamentary (election), we must all confront attempts to circumvent it鈥�

BEIRUT: A decision by Lebanon鈥檚 leading Sunni Muslim politician to step back from politics and boycott a parliamentary election in May must not be used as an excuse to call for a delay, the Maronite Christian patriarch said on Sunday.
Cardinal Bechara Boutros Al-Rai said he was surprised by three times-former prime minister Saad Al-Hariri鈥檚 decision and said he hoped Sunnis would still take part so the election 鈥渆xpresses the position of all Lebanese.鈥�
Hariri鈥檚 decision has turned the electoral landscape on its head, adding to the uncertainties facing a country suffering a devastating financial meltdown.
鈥淕iven the importance of this parliamentary (election), we must all confront attempts to circumvent it,鈥� Rai said, noting the new parliament would elect President Michel Aoun鈥檚 replacement.
Referring to Hariri鈥檚 decision, he said 鈥渋t is not allowed for some to invoke the new reality and promote the postponement of the parliamentary elections.鈥� He did not say to whom he was referring.
Lebanon鈥檚 2018 election produced a majority for the heavily armed, Iran-backed Shiite group Hezbollah and its allies, who include Aoun. Its adversaries hope to overturn this in May.
Rai is a critic of Hezbollah, saying it has harmed Lebanon by dragging it into regional conflicts.
Hezbollah, designated a terrorist group by Washington, is part of an Iran-led alliance vying for regional influence with US-allied Gulf Arab states.
While none of Lebanon鈥檚 main parties have called for an election delay, many observers believe this may well suit a number of influential players, though not adversaries of Hezbollah, such as the Christian Lebanese Forces party.
Western states want the vote to go ahead on time.
Saad will leave a fractured Sunni community in his wake.
On Friday, his older brother, Bahaa, signalled he was entering politics, saying he would 鈥渃ontinue the journey鈥� of his father Rafik Al-Hariri. Bahaa plans to support candidates but will not be running himself.