“Since the issuance of the Constitutional Council’s decision to nullify the law in force by virtue of No. 7 related to determining the appointment mechanism in the first category in public administrations and in higher positions in public institutions, voices objecting the decision and linking it to political reasons or casting doubt on its legality, have necessitated the following clarification:

First: When the President of the Republic refrained from signing the law and decided to review the Constitutional Council requesting its repeal, he was confident that some of its articles violated the constitution, especially Articles 54, 65 and 66 thereof, and for this reason, the President invoked the authority entrusted to it under Article 19 of the Constitution, the responsibility to monitor the constitutionality of laws. Thus, the decision of the Constitutional Council to repeal the law was the conclusion of any discussion on the issue, whether constitutional or political,” the statement said.

Second: Those who oppose, and they are few, the decision of the Constitutional Council, either show a lack of understanding of the Lebanese constitution or intentionally ignore what it stipulates in the articles, especially those related to the responsibilities of the Constitutional Council, with the aim of politicizing the decision that was rendered, while contesting the role of the constitutional institution that existed to protect the legislator from any abuse during the performance of his legislative mission on the one hand, and to respect the laws on the other hand,” it added.

Third: The political and media campaigns launched by the opponents to annul the aforementioned law are campaigns that raise many unanswered questions about its reasons and the purpose of its continuation, especially since the decisions of the Constitutional Council are final and not subject to any kind of legal review and are binding on all authorities,” the statement went on.

Fourth: the fact of not approving the appointment mechanism does not at all mean that those who will be appointed in the vacant administrative positions will not be competent, on the contrary, these specifications are a constant in selecting employees in the first category in the administration,” the statement concluded.”

Source: NNA