Over the last two years, Mahfouz Skina, who holds a doctorate in public law from the French University of Poitiers and is the former adviser to the State Council in Lebanon, has conducted several studies tackling constitutional problems in Lebanon. In the midst of the prevailing sectarian political bickering in the country, these studies are important because they highlight the need for a fruitful public, national and multi-partisan debate. This debate should contribute to the consecration of the state-building process, rather than leading to the dismantling of the state and the paralysis of its institutions, as is the case today.
The constitutional crisis hitting Lebanon today because of political divisions has disrupted the work of the Constitutional Council. This crisis has prevented the council from rendering a decision regarding the appeal filed by President Michel Suleiman, calling for the invalidation of the 17-month extension of parliament’s legal term. In light of this, Al-Monitor spoke with Skina to find out more about his vision on the nature of the Constitutional Council crisis, his views on how to get out of the crisis and its impact on the overall democratic system in Lebanon.
