UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday following a meeting with Prime Minister Najib Mikati that he was confident the general election in Lebanon will take place at the end of March.
On Sunday, Guterres arrived in Lebanon, where he is set to meet senior government officials, religious leaders and civil society representatives. The UN chief has already met with President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Mikati and other leaders.
"I was extremely impressed by the commitment of the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister and the Speaker of Parliament. We have the guarantee that elections will take place according to the constitution allowing for the new Parliament to be elected before the end of the mandate of the present Parliament," Guterres said.
Guterres also noted he was encouraged by Mikati's commitment to negotiate with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and lead a number of reforms needed for Lebanon's effective recovery to start as soon as possible.
Lebanon is enduring a dire economic and humanitarian crisis stemming from political turmoil, a malfunctioning economy and the devastating August 2020 explosion at the port in the capital of Beirut.
Guterres said the United Nations is committed to helping Lebanon by ensuring that international financial institutions are able to provide the Middle Eastern country with the maximum possible support.
"The Lebanese people are suffering as a result of many factors, ... and it is essential that we tackle this linked crisis together with a united front based on a focused, coherent and coordinated effort with only one agenda: the wellbeing of the Lebanese people," Guterres stated.
Lebanon had been without a government for more than a year after Hassan Diab's government resigned in August 2020, following the Beirut explosion. The formation of a new cabinet was announced on September 10, when Mikati and Aoun signed a decree putting an end to the political deadlock in Lebanon.
Mikati promised to carry out effective reforms, help the country recover from the financial crisis, which the World Bank ranked as one of the three worst crises the world has seen in the past 150 years, and regain the confidence of the IMF to unlock billions of dollars in aid. With the approach of the parliamentary elections on March 27, 2022, the Mikati cabinet has just several months left to gain the IMF's support for the economic recovery plan. (ANI/Sputnik)
( With inputs from ANI )
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