Naharnet

Jumblat's Bloc Meets, Decision on Presidential Elections Revealed Next Week

The Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc will meet on Saturday to discuss the latest developments with regard to the thorny file of the presidency, and to decide for whom to vote during the upcoming election session following the endorsement of MP Michel Aoun by al-Mustaqbal Movement chief Saad Hariri, media reports said.

Chief of the bloc, MP Walid Jumblat called his 11 deputies for a meeting in Mukhtara to decide the bloc's path during the voting process in a parliamentary session scheduled on October 31 to elect a president.

“The Democratic Gathering bloc will meet for consultations on the president today, and the decision will be taken next week,” said Jumblat on Twitter.

The bloc's meeting comes after ex-PM Saad Hariri endorsed the presidential nomination of Free Patriotic Movement founder Aoun.

Hariri had endorsed Aoun after his previous support for the presidential nomination of Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah.

Franjieh is backed by Progressive Socialist Party leader Jumblat, Speaker Nabih Berri, and was originally backed by Hariri.

Jumblat's bloc will meet to determine their stance, now that Berri has openly announced that he will not vote for Aoun in any presidential election session.

Some officials of Berri's AMAL Movement have accused Aoun and Hariri of seeking a bilateral agreement that would marginalize Shiites in power, allegations that Aoun and his movement have denied.

Although Jumblat leads a minority sect, the MP is a pillar and a mainstay in Lebanese politics and is often referred to as the country's "kingmaker" because of his small bloc's track record of tipping the balance during key votes in parliament.

Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, 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 had launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Hizbullah's ally Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah.

The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid have argued 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.

Source: Naharnet


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