Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Tuesday announced that he will not nominate a certain candidate for the presidency, calling for the election of a president who is able to “heal the rifts” among the Lebanese.

“I do not have names to nominate for the presidency and I will not nominate anyone ... We need a president who knows how to talk to the world and how to heal the rifts,” al-Rahi said in an interview on LBCI television. “We're working with everyone to secure holding the presidential vote on time. MPs have a two-month deadline to elect a president and nothing prevents holding the first session to elect the president on Monday,” al-Rahi said. He called for selecting the new president “in a conscious manner,” underlining that “he must have a character that can heal the domestic rifts and must enjoy Arab and international presence.” [Link]