President of the Independence Movement MP Michel Moawad issued the following statement:The recent naturalization decree and the questions raised concerning it drive us to admit two matters: First, that the constitution reserves the power of the President of the Republic along with the Prime Minister and the concerned Minister to grant the Lebanese nationality. Secondly, all the files must be handled according to clear standards, and with complete transparency towards the Lebanese. And in this context, we praise the President’s decision to transfer the decree to the general security to inspect all the names cited therein.And I join Patriarch Al-Rahi in demanding that blood relation be the only eligible factor for acquiring the Lebanese citizenship so that we do not jeopardize Lebanon's unique model.
