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Lebanese constitutional expert Chibli Mallat said in an October 25, 2019 interview on OTV (Lebanon) that the Taif Agreement, which required that Lebanon's three heads of state be representatives of the Sunni, Shiite, and Maronite communities, should be abolished and replaced with a government that is based on what it is capable of achieving. As the audience cheered "Revolution!", Mallat cited Robespierre in calling for revolution and added: "Is this or is this not a revolution?" Mallat said that he is proud of Lebanon's constitution, which he described as the most profound in the East, and pointed out that all other constitutions in the region had been abolished by militaries, sectarianism, or Iran's mullahs. He called to topple Lebanon's regime and place its heads of state on trial. Mallat also said that there is no reason why the next prime minister of Lebanon couldn't be a woman. The studio audience cheered in support of Mallat and his statements.
Following are excerpts:
Chibli Mallat: Today, the [demonstrating] public came up with the idea of an independent government.
Anchor: We talked about this on MTV earlier tonight.
Chibli Mallat: What does an independent government mean? A government that is based on capabilities. If we have a prime minister or a president who are not Sunni or Maronite – what will happen? I have more. Prime Minister Hariri...
Anchor: So you suggest to abolish the Taif agreement...
Chibli Mallat: Of course! Revolution!!!!!! Is it or isn't it a revolution, people?
Audience: Revolution! Revolution! Revolution! Revolution! Revolution! Revolution!
Chibli Mallat: There is a famous quote by Robespierre from the days of the French Revolution. We are against Robespierre because we do not cut off people's heads, but he famously said: 'People, you want revolution without a revolution?' What is this social contract of Taif? When we talk about a 'Third Lebanese Republic' we mean just that. I am proud of my constitution. The Lebanese constitution is the most profound in the East. It's the only constitution left. All the other constitutions were abolished by the military, by sectarianism, or by Iran's Mullahs.
[...]
The people want to topple the regime, but there is something we haven't heard enough about, and now we will: The people want to place the heads of state on trial!
Anchor: Place them on trial for what?
Chibli Mallat: You can choose which head of state.
[...]
Anchor: Are you talking about placing the President of Lebanon on trial?
Chibli Mallat: Him too.
Anchor: So you mean all three of them: The President, the PM, and the Parliament Speaker. Phillip Abu Zaid tells me that in an earlier discussion you said you want half the government to be women...
Chibli Mallat: Friends, imagine that we do not manage to get rid of the President, but we do manage to get rid of this crumbling government. Why can't the next prime minister be a woman?
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