Beirut: Presidential candidate Professor Shibli Mallat expressed his regret at canceling the presidential debate in which he had agreed to participate today.

According to National News Agency – Lebanon, he said: “Such occasions are at the core of political etiquette, and withdrawing from them is an indication of the deterioration of the democratic culture in Lebanon.”

In the context of the chronic presidential vacuum, Mallat had more than once encouraged television stations to arrange such encounters, ‘but mentalities are still inadequate in opening the door to public dialogue between the competitors, in line with the best experiences in the world,” he said.