Mustaqbal Clings to Franjieh, Urges Others to Make Initiatives
Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc stressed Tuesday that al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri is still clinging to the presidential nomination of Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh.
“The repeated publishing of lies and fallacies related to alleged promises and imagined meetings that did not happen will change nothing of the facts and realities,” said the bloc in a statement issued after its weekly meeting, refuting media reports about a purported Paris meeting between Hariri and Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil.
“The bloc considers that ex-PM Saad Hariri's initiative on backing the presidential nomination of MP Suleiman Franjieh is still ongoing and the others are required to present any suggestions or initiatives that they might have,” the bloc added.
It also reiterated that “Hizbullah's claim that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and al-Mustaqbal Movement are to blame for the obstruction of the presidential vote is a rejected, desperate and silly claim that cannot convince anyone.”
“It cannot cover up for the role of the party and Iran in obstructing the vote and in withholding the presidential election card in service of Iran's regional agenda,” Mustaqbal added.
“The election of a president in Lebanon must happen according to the rules stipulated by the Constitution and not according to the conditions of any political party of group,” it stressed.
“During this critical and dangerous period, Lebanon needs a president who can unite the Lebanese people rather than divide them and whose election would bolster up Lebanon's noble coexistence concept,” Mustaqbal added.
Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, MP Michel Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum.
Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah.
Hariri's move prompted Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival, after months of political rapprochement talks between the two parties.
The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.
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