Bassil Wins FPM Presidency Uncontested, Says 'Consensus is a Form of Democracy'
Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil won uncontested the presidency of the Free Patriotic Movement on Thursday, describing the “consensus” that contributed to his victory as a “form of democracy” aimed at keeping the FPM “strong.”
Bassil will succeed his father-in-law and the movement's founder MP Michel Aoun.
The FM's list won uncontested after the rival list was disqualified for “failing to submit all the required legal documents,” FPM secretary-general Elie Khoury announced.
Accordingly, Bassil's allies Nicolas Sehnaoui and Rommel Saber won uncontested as deputy chief for political affairs and deputy chief for internal affairs respectively.
The other list comprised Ziad al-Bayeh for the presidency and Elie Maalouf and Fares Louis for the posts of deputy chiefs.
“We are the General's guarantee and he has never sought a guarantee except from his people,” said Bassil at a ceremony celebrating his win, referring to Aoun.
“The General will remain the movement's temporal and eternal leader,” he stressed.
Bassil described the FPM as “the salvation of Christians and the hope of the Lebanese and the people of the Levant.”
“We're a movement that is smaller than Lebanon and bigger than the Levant,” he said.
Commenting on the agreement that was reached over the withdrawal of MP Alain Aoun from the race, Bassil noted that “consensus is a form of democracy.”
“We reached consensus so that our movement can be strong today,” he said.
“The movement is strong by its principles and regional decentralization in the implementation of its decisions,” he added.
MP Michel Aoun had declared that “the agreement over the elections was based on the will of the majority.”
“I bless this decision and encourage it,” he said.
After the announcement, MP Alain Aoun issued a statement saying: “Based on MP Michel Aoun's wishes, my constant confidence in him, and my awareness of the impact on the unity of the FPM, given the major political pressure it is under, I urge all members to overcome this phase and continue to work together for the interest and future of the movement.”
On Thursday, Bassil declared that the FPM wants the election of a “strong” president for the republic.
Turning to the domestic political disputes, he added: “They won't be able to defeat our will. They will target us and try to isolate us with the 'takfiri sword' and the sword of politics.”
“They will obstruct our projects and try to prevent us from making achievements. They will try to eliminate us in the squares, administrations, ministries and presidency, but we shall fall and rise because we are the sons of resurrection,” he added.
The country has been without a president since Michel Suleiman's term ended in May 2014. MP Michel Aoun is one of the main presidential candidates.
The presidential vacuum has been increasingly affecting the work of the government and the parliament.
Aoun and his ministers are accusing Prime Minister Tammam Salam of infringing on the jurisdiction of the Christian president, arguing that the cabinet's decrees and resolutions must enjoy the approval of all ministers, or blocs, in the event of a presidential vacuum.
The FPM has also repeatedly announced that it is seeking to end what it calls the “marginalization” of Christians in Lebanon's state administrations.
Y.R.
27 August 2015, 21:11
127
أركع أمامك يا جنرال لتباركني… باسيل: إن غبت أيها “التيار” غاب المسيحيون من الشرق وغاب لبنان
ولفت باسيل الى “أنهم لن ينالوا من إرادتنا مهما حاولوا عزلنا وإخافتنا لذلك سيستهدفوننا وسيحاولون عزلنا بسيف التكفير وسيف السياسة
Reminds me of Richard the Lion Heart!
Oussa Mou2assira jiddan jiddan Nizlet Dame3ti
27 August 2015, 21:17
74
we shall fall and rise because we are the sons of resurrection.. what he's Jesus now?
28 August 2015, 15:22
61
No, it's called B.S. G.W. Bush style: First split the Christians constituency between the educated and idiots, then appeal to the idiots who will necessarily make up the majority, then use words that sound big and fancy and the idiots will think you are god and follow you whatever else happens after the speech.
Basil was eulogizing his appointer father-in-law as somebody who is consistent: the General still believes on Wednesday what he believed on Monday, no matter what happened on Tuesday!
27 August 2015, 21:33
106
محفوض عبر "تويتر": لم اجد تعبيرًا عن المشهد المسرحي اليوم سوى كلام للإمام علي بن ابي طالب "ويل لامة قادتها صغارها" ولكن الظاهر انه كما تكونون يولّى عليكم.
27 August 2015, 21:51
137
Actually there is a big difference between Hafez Assad, Bachar Assad and Michel Aoun. Gebran Bassil after all Hafez and Bashar at least pretended to have elections ;}
27 August 2015, 22:03
84
The check mark, that's something people use when they vote, right?
27 August 2015, 22:15
84
What's worse is that the elections were in September, yet a ceremony was already planned for tonight, whether Ziad's documentation was legal or not (if you know what I mean).
28 August 2015, 00:10
26
Yeah but Bassil is the only politician in your whole charade who can get anything done. Aoun chose his son in law to take over instead of his son because Bassil is better. He should be your next President. Remember how he had to struggle to bring electricity to Lebanon. Remember how he tried to get oil leases sold so Israel can't seal your resources with impunity. Maybe if he had been in charge of the garbage portfolio you wouldn't be in the position you are in. Seriously some of you who comment so predictably on these threads should take a look in the mirror at the real problem with Lebanese society. Those are your eyes.
28 August 2015, 15:31
41
LOL! Dude, you seriously weren't in Lebanon anytime recently, were you? As you said yourself, Bassil was in charge of the electricity portfolio a few years back when the Coup Government was in charge. 1.2 Billion US Dollars of Bassil-ordered "improvements" to the electric works, and the Lebanese were lucky to have 2 hours of electricity every other day. He brought in a couple of Turkish electric vessels to show like he's doing something, and then left the rest of the Lebanese electric infrastructure crumble to the ground till look where we are now. Look at the present reality JCW; quit parroting the official propaganda of the FPM Ministry of Truth.
28 August 2015, 01:47
52
I am very pleased ....because with imbassil this is the fall of the Family Protected Mazra3a...
28 August 2015, 01:50
51
@gabby14
Well said. Beside FPM's duty includes a reform of the dionary:
Democracy means consensu
Deserting means support.
Fleeing means courage.
Stealing means duty bonus
Contradicting means correcting.
Lie means truth
Defending means oppressing.
Destroying means constructing.
Citizen means Iranian.
Electing means imposing.
Time to educate self about FPM new vocabulary
28 August 2015, 02:31
74
Where is the people money contributed to aoun. Is it going to basil too?
28 August 2015, 10:48
54
Apperently the FPM is “the salvation of Christians and the hope of the Lebanese and the people of the Levant.” - We are all domed!
28 August 2015, 13:54
65
Com on, the race was too close to call, till the last minute, we couldn't tell who is the going to be responsible for the Tayar 24/24 !!!
28 August 2015, 15:31
00
let’s hope that the other high ranked members of the FPM does not appoint all their family in good positions within the FPM party …. This is not a family business or company they run ….
28 August 2015, 15:55
41
Remind me which was the last democracy where the president was elected uncontested? Oh yeah, that's right, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Long live the eternal and beloved leader! For he looks down upon us from the height of his dementia and issues mysterious jibberish which the prophets in the Propaganda Department interpret unto the people to bring them good salvation.
28 August 2015, 17:18
40
As was expected, the FPM seems to be going form one bad decision to another. Why worry to know the source of the strings of bad decisions, it's no other than the old fart Claoun who not even once has embarked on one single good decision, now this latest of them. It's quite a pity, because if Claoun had an ounce of brains left functioning, then he would not have been tempted again by one more act of greed and stupidity. In the FPM, there are several great people who could have come in and saved a dying party from total extinction. Instead of electing a dumb greedy s.i.l like Bassil, the FPM, or Claoun rather could have opted for a great person like Alain Aoun, who is a lot more attuned to the realities of our society, Alain could have done the FPM and the Christians of Lebanon a world of good, sad, dwarfs seem to rule this now-out-of-touch party.
28 August 2015, 21:07
00
Now that Aoun knows that he will never be president, all he has to do as of now is to play God. Just like Sayed Hassan who blesses his mercenaries before going to battle it out in Syria and Yemen, so does Aoun gives his blessings to his chosen son..........in-law. Getting sicker by the day.
