The countdown to the presidential elections has started as Lebanon is entering the constitutional deadline to elect a new president.
The debate began over whether the caretaker government is legally able to take over the powers of the President, and the possibility of withdrawing the mandate from PM Najib Mikati, leading to the so-called flotation of the government.
The head of the human rights “Justicia” Foundation, Lawyer Paul Morcos, explained the powers of the caretaker government in case of a presidential vacancy.
Dr. Morcos said that according to Article 62 of the Constitution, the powers of the President are transferred to the cabinet in case of a presidential vacancy, regardless of whether it is a caretaker government or not.
It assumes the duties of the President of the Republic at a minimum, that is, it avoids all the unnecessary and non-urgent powers of the President.
Therefore, this law was established to ensure the continuity of government and the constitutional institutions not interrupting their work.
Dr. Morcos pointed out that there is no such thing as a vacancy, and the constitution does not include something called “vacancy”. There are mechanisms for the transfer of government and the continuation of institutions.
It can be said that there is what is called emptying in the intended and intentional sense by politicians, which is another matter, but a vacancy never occurs.
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