NNA - Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced that "the government will continue to carry out all its constitutional duties, including conducting business in accordance with the provisions of the Lebanese Constitution and the regulations that sponsor its work and decision-making as stipulated in the Constitution, and in Decree No. 2552 dated August 1, 1992 and its amendments (organizing the work of the Council of Ministers), unless the Parliament Council has a different opinion."

"The decree accepting the resignation of the government, which has already resigned in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, lacks any constitutional value," Mikati affirmed.

The Prime Minister’s position came in a letter addressed to House Speaker Nabih Berri, following President Michel Aoun's signing of a decree deeming the current government as "resigned".

Mikati indicated in his letter to Berri that, "It is useful to recall that our government, in compliance with its constitutional duties, has previously responded to your explicit invitation to participate and attend the sessions of your honorable council and was represented before this council, as a resigned government, and took part in the discussion of several bills sent by it, most of which were approved by the council, particularly the draft general budget law for 2022 which is of great importance because it defines the general fiscal policy of the government and the funds that allow it to implement these policies."

In light of the above, PM Mikati stated: "In order to avoid constitutional accountability for violating the duties stipulated in Article /70/ of the Constitution, and to avoid the disruption of the functioning of public facilities, the fall of the regime, and the paralysis of the work of the state with all its components and constitutional institutions...and based on the fact that the decree, which accepted the resignation of an already-resigned government, is legally lacking any constitutional value that would negatively impact the conducting of business in addition to exercising all obligations imposed on it by the Constitution, kindly take note of the government's continued conducting of business and carrying out all its constitutional duties in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and the regulations that sponsor its work and manner of taking decisions stipulated in the Constitution and in Decree No. 2552 dated August 1, 1992 and its amendments (organizing the work of the Council of Ministers), unless your esteemed council has a contrary opinion." 

=========R.Sh.