On Thursday, Lebanon’s parliament will convene to elect a president, with Lebanese Army Commander Joseph Aoun appears to be the strongest contender.
On Wednesday, there was a flurry of activity including declarations, intensified discussions and communications.
Marada Movement leader Sleiman Frangieh, who is preferred by Hezbollah and Amal Movement, declared he was withdrawaing from the presidential race.
In a statement, Franjieh said: “Now that the conditions for electing a president of the republic are in place tomorrow, and in light of the way things have turned out, I announce the withdrawal of my candidacy, which was never an obstacle to the election process. While I thank everyone who voted for me, I – in line with what I announced in previous positions – support General Joseph Aoun, who enjoys the qualifications to preserve the position of the first presidency.”
صدر عن رئيس تيار المرده سليمان فرنجيه البيان التالي:
“أمّا وقد توفّرت ظروف انتخاب رئيس للجمهورية يوم غد، وإزاء ما آلت إليه الأمور، فإنني أعلن عن سحب ترشيحي الذي لم يكن يوماً هو العائق أمام عملية الانتخاب.
وإذ أشكر كلّ من اقترع لي، فإنني – وانسجاماً مع ما كنت قد أعلنته في مواقف…
— Sleiman Frangieh (@sleimanfrangieh) January 8, 2025
Frangieh wished the House of Parliament success in the election process, and for “the country to pass this stage with unity, awareness and responsibility.”
Meanwhile, Wednesday was marked by a visit from French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, who arrived in Beirut on Tuesday evening and was expected to attend the parliamentary presidential election session on Thursday.
Le Drian held meetings with several political and parliamentary figures, during which he reportedly recommended Aoun for “consideration without any preconditions.”
The head of Hezbollah’s Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc, MP Mohammad Raad, was quoted after meeting the French envoy as saying: “Hezbollah will not stand in the way of the Lebanese people’s consensus on the name of a president for the republic.
On the other hand, sources told Al-Manar that there have been international efforts pushing towards electing General Aoun.
The sources said that the efforts “are accompanied by a media campaign to pressure the parliamentary forces, whose balances in the House of Representatives have not changed, which imposes a binding consensus to produce a president for the republic.”
To win, the presidential hopeful needs 86 to achieve automatic victory, avoiding a second round and constitutional ratification. The official vote is tomorrow at 11 am local time, in a session led by Speaker Nabih Berri.
Source: Al-Manar and Lebanese media
