Geagea Slams Aoun Pledge to Guarantee Security of Hariri if in Power
Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea said on Wednesday that his political arch-foe Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun isn't responsible for head of al-Mustaqbal Movement Saad Hariri's security, stressing that staging the parliamentary elections amid presidential vacuum is a dangerous precedent.
“It is early to discuss the legislative polls... But if we carry out the elections without a head of state then we will return to the same crisis,” Geagea told reporters at Maarab after lawmakers failed for the seventh time to elect a new president.
Geagea stressed that “the presidential elections must be held before the parliamentary elections.”
The Christian leader lashed out at Aoun without naming him, wondering how some parties are justifying vacuum with the fear of electing a weak president.
“Christians are now sobbing over the ongoing vacuum.”
“It is totally rejected to choose the weakest Christian as president and I will not tolerate this,” Aoun said Tuesday about Geagea without naming him.
“I'm the strongest and I'm the one who represents (the Christians). My popularity is on the rise,” he added.
Geagea slammed the March 8 alliance, asking the Change and Reform bloc, which is head by Aoun, and Hizbullah's Loyalty to the Resistance bloc “what they are waiting for” to attend the parliamentary session and elect a new head of state.
The failure to choose a successor to President Michel Suleiman, whose term expired on May 25, is the result of the boycott of the majority of March 8 alliance's MPs.
The March 14 official voiced concern over the presidential impasse, expressing hope that the rival parties would have at least one percent consensus over any candidate.
“It's not right to elect a president who has minimal representation but now we will not be able to agree on a nominee who could garner the majority of votes,” Geagea said.
He proposed on Aoun to accept “any of the available options or head to the parliament to vote for his candidate because vacuum will harm us all.”
Aoun has said he would run for the presidency if there was consensus on him.
Geagea said that meeting with the FPM chief will not lead to any positive result.
“They are manipulating the system and the constitution, which poses a great danger on the country and the Lebanese amid the developments in the region.”
He considered that the Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi as the “saddest person” over the ongoing deadlock.
“We shouldn't undermine the presidential vacuum,” Geagea said, urging those who have “conscience” to attend the July 2 session set to elect a new president.
Speaker Nabih Berri postponed the session to July 2 to fill the seat of the country's top Christian post at Baabda Palace.
Geagea concluded that Aoun is not responsible for Hariri's security, a day after Aoun said that he could guarantee the political security of the Mustaqbal official if he returns to Lebanon if he was in power.
“Hariri will not also ask him for such a demand.”
H.K.
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