Two days before the 12th session of the presidential elections called for by House Speaker Nabih Berri, vagueness continues to prevail regarding the final nominations of the various blocs in light of differences among the members of the same bloc.
Raad
Head of Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc MP Mohammad Raad stressed that the other political team does not want whom it nominates for the presidential elections to become a president, adding that they just want him to prevent the candidate the Resistance supports from reaching Baabda Palace.
MP Raad indicated that the national partnership means securing the interests of all the Lebanese people.
Franjiyeh
Marada Movement Chief, Sleiman Franjieh, called for discussing all the nominations in a national dialogue, without any preconditions from any side,” stressing, “I do not impose myself on anyone.”
He added: “When a national candidate is agreed upon and there is a national consensus over him, then there is no problem for me.”
Franjieh warned against “this abolitionist mentality that was fabricated as with the Ehden massacre.”
Addressing Lebanese Forces Party Chief Samir Geagea, he said, “I ask Geagea, you are against the opposition candidate and it’s your right, but you have previously allied with Hezbollah’s candidate.”
He added, “They only boycotted me while nothing unites them,” considering that “the Free Patriotic Movement does not want a candidate from the ruling system, but it came forth with Jihad Azour from the heart of the ruling system and the impossible acquittal.”
He stressed that in his dictionary there is no obstruction in political life, while in the dictionary of others lies the statement of hindrance.
Franjieh affirmed that he has a clear vision for all constitutional, economic and other matters at the national level, stressing that he is committed to reforms, the Taif Agreement and the administrative centralization within it.
He said, “The president is the one who takes a position during his term and not afterwards,” vowing to be a president for all the Lebanese and not for a specific team if he reaches the presidency.
Hezbollah
Meanwhile, Hezbollah Deputy Chief Sheikh Naim Qassem reiterated that the Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc will attend Wednesday’s session and vote for Franjiyeh, adding that the session is not expected to lead to electing a new president in accordance with the current conditions.
Sheikh Qassem stressed that they reject Franjiyeh because he neither obeys the US orders, nor gets involved in murders in Lebanon, nor backstabs the Resistance and its martyrs.
His eminence stressed that the presidential election is aimed at achieving salvation, not challenging the political opponents.
Aoun
Former Lebanese President, General Michel Aoun, on Monday said via his Twitter account: “Our system is democratic and our constitution guarantees freedom of opinion. Accordingly, every political party has the right to choose a presidential candidate without being accused of treachery and being subjected to threats (…). Respect for others and their rights is the basis of national unity and coexistence, and whoever wants to preserve the homeland must respect these principles.”
Karami
For his part, MP Faisal Karami confirmed that the national consensus bloc would vote for Franjiyeh, stressing that the latter is capable of addressing the major issues, including the return of the Syrian refugees.
Latest Reports
According to well-informed sources, the blocs supporting Jihad Azour have failed to secure the 65 votes needed by the candidate to win in the second round of the presidential elections.
The sources added that the session will witness either of two scenarios: lack of quorum in the first round or loss of quorum in the second.
Thus, the sources conclude that the session will not lead to the win of any candidate, rather it will be a political maneuver during which every candidate will determine the number of votes he has secured so far.
Source: Al-Manar English Website
