Nasrallah Says Support of Aoun's Candidacy Unchanged, Slams 'Dictatorial' Proportional Representation Opponents

W460

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday reiterated support for Change and Reform bloc chief MP Michel Aoun's presidential bid, noting that an electoral law based on the proportional representation system would pull the country out of its political crisis.

“As long as Aoun is running for presidency, we will support his candidacy without any timeframes and no one can impose a president on us,” said Nasrallah during an interview with al-Manar television.

“Michel Aoun is not linked to any country, embassy or party and he has the courage to take his own decisions,” he noted.

Commenting on calls for electing a so-called “consensual president,” Nasrallah noted that “when you say that you want the election of any president, you would be insulting the presidency.”

“We want a strong president who cannot be 'bought or sold,' especially in this period that Lebanon and the region are going through. These characteristics apply to General Aoun,” he underscored.

Nasrallah also repeated the accusation that Saudi Arabia is impeding the presidential election in Lebanon.

“The obstacle in the presidential issue is well-known and even (al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM) Saad Hariri had the intention to endorse Aoun's presidential bid,” he said.

As for the national dialogue that got underway under the auspices of Speaker Nabih Berri, Nasrallah said the parties “can move to the other issues” should they fail to agree on the issue of the presidency.

Hizbullah's leader then proposed holding parliamentary elections under a proportional representation law as a way out of the country's political impasse.

“In any country, when the political process reaches a deadlock, the rulers would return to the people … The problem in Lebanon is that the Constitution did not mention a referendum, although it exists in most countries in the world.

“We don't have this mechanism and we can only return to the people through parliamentary elections,” he said.

“Holding parliamentary polls under any law will not solve the problem because the elections will yield the same results. Therefore, an electoral law based on proportional representation would be the gateway to give people a chance to elect a parliament that would improve the political life,” he explained.

Nasrallah then launched a scathing attack on the opponents of the proportional representation system.

“Any party that rejects proportional representation would be dictatorial, because it would be rejecting partners in its regions and confessional representation … Those who reject proportional representation are afraid it would expose their real political weight,” he suggested.

Turning to the flurry of international discussions about the situation in war-torn Syria, Nasrallah attributed the apparent changes in the stances of some world powers to the “perseverance” of the Syrian regime and its allies.

“The aim of the 5-year global war on Syria was to topple the regime and seize control of the country, but the perseverance of Syria and its allies was the main factor behind what we're witnessing today,” said Nasrallah.

“Today we're witnessing the failure of the U.S. strategy and the anti-Islamic State international coalition. The Europeans are now facing a new challenge, the challenge of the refugees, and they're facing two choices – ending the war in Syria or taking in the refugees” he explained.

Hizbullah's leader also noted that the recent nuclear deal between Iran and world powers was a factor that led to the current developments in the Syrian crisis.

“The Americans thought they could convince Iran through negotiations to bargain over Syria, but this has also ended,” he said.

Nasrallah also confirmed reports that Russia had called for a new anti-IS international coalition “comprising Iran, Iraq, Turkey and the current alliance” that is facing the group.

“Several meetings were held between senior officials of these countries and they engaged in a serious discussion about forming a real anti-terror force,” said Nasrallah.

He noted that the Russian stance on Syrian President Bashar Assad's role in any possible political transition “is not ambiguous anymore.”

“Russia and Iran are very decisive in their support for President Bashar Assad,” Nasrallah underscored.

Asked about the Russian reinforcements that are being dispatched to Syria, Nasrallah said Hizbullah welcomes “any force that enters Syria to support this front, because it would be contributing to fending off the major threats that Syria and the region are facing.”

“The Russian moves are coordinated with the four countries that I mentioned,” he said.

Asked why Hizbullah and the Syrian army were not able to finish the battle that they started in July in the town of Zabadani near Lebanon's border, Nasrallah attributed the protraction of the campaign to the rebels' military pressure on the Shiite Idlib towns of Fuaa and Kafraya.

“We started the Zabadani battle on July 1 and seized control of all hills around the town and most of the town's territory. The militants started issuing distress calls within less than two weeks … They later floated the Fuaa-Kafraya-Zabadani equation after their leaders thought that pressure on Fuaa and Kafraya would improve their situation in Zabadani,” Nasrallah explained.

“When they linked the issue to Zabadani, we saw a chance and we protected Fuaa and Kafraya by refraining from seizing full control of the town (Zabadani) before reaching a solution for the two towns,” he said.

He also described some media reports about Hizbullah's casualties in Zabadani as exaggerated.

Confirming that a six-month truce had been reached for the three towns, Nasrallah said the deal was reached under United Nations auspices, with the mediation of Damascus ally Iran.

It will entail the "evacuation of armed and wounded men from Zabadani to Idlib province in exchange for the evacuation of 10,000 civilians from the villages of Fuaa and Kafraya to zones controlled by the regime," he announced.

On Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the agreement was reached “under Turkish and Iranian sponsorship and with guarantees from the United Nations.”

Y.R.

Timeline
  • 25 September 2015, 23:23

    Nasrallah: Any party that rejects proportional representation would be dictatorial, because it would be rejecting partners in its regions and confessional representation … Those who reject proportional representation are afraid it would expose their real political weight.

  • 25 September 2015, 23:20

    Nasrallah: Holding parliamentary polls under any law will not solve the problem because the elections will yield the same results. Therefore, an electoral law based on proportional representation would be the gateway to give people a chance to elect a parliament that would improve the political life.

  • 25 September 2015, 23:15

    Nasrallah: In any country, when the political process reaches a deadlock, the rulers would return to the people … The problem in Lebanon is that the Constitution did not mention a referendum, although it exists in most countries in the world. We don't have this mechanism and we can only return to the people through parliamentary elections.

  • 25 September 2015, 23:07

    Nasrallah: The other camp rejected all the solutions that Aoun accepted and they accused him of obstruction.

  • 25 September 2015, 22:49

    Nasrallah: Should we fail to reach an agreement on the presidency around the dialogue table, we can move to the other issues. For example, we found a solution for the cabinet decision-taking mechanism and nowadays efforts are underway to find a solution to the issue of the security appointments.

  • 25 September 2015, 22:43

    Nasrallah: As long as Aoun is running for the presidency, we will support his candidacy without any timeframes and no one can impose a president on us.

  • 25 September 2015, 22:42

    Nasrallah: Michel Aoun is not linked to any country, embassy or party and he has the courage to take his own decisions.

  • 25 September 2015, 22:39

    Nasrallah: When you say that you want the election of any president, you would be insulting the presidency … We want a strong president who cannot be “bought or sold,” especially in this period that Lebanon and the region are going through. These characteristics apply to General Aoun.

  • 25 September 2015, 22:34

    Nasrallah: The obstacle in the presidential issue is well-known and even Saad Hariri had the intention to endorse Aoun's presidential bid.

  • 25 September 2015, 22:29

    Nasrallah: Iran does not interfere in any of Lebanon's affairs.

  • 25 September 2015, 22:29

    Nasrallah: The national dialogue parties in Lebanon have a chance to succeed in some files if there is a will. We encouraged Speaker Berri's initiative but we don't expect major achievements.

  • 25 September 2015, 22:17

    Nasrallah: Chances for a political solution in Syria are growing.

  • 25 September 2015, 22:03

    Nasrallah: No one can say that war with Israel is inevitable, although it is possible and might erupt at any given moment due to Israel's well-known hostility. We must maintain our preparedness to protect our country and people.

  • 25 September 2015, 22:00

    Nasrallah: We are concerned and we will be part of any real movement aimed at protecting the al-Aqsa Mosque.

  • 25 September 2015, 21:58

    Nasrallah: Israel is benefiting the most of the current events but the course of developments is not in its hand.

  • 25 September 2015, 21:55

    Nasrallah: We are fighting in Syria with grief and we would have liked to see this huge number of militants embarked on liberating al-Aqsa. We were obliged to enter this battle ... If time goes back, we would expedite the decision to intervene in Syria. Everything that we said in the first year is being echoed by some countries nowadays.

  • 25 September 2015, 21:38

    Nasrallah: Reports about Hizbullah's casualties in Zabadani are exaggerated.

  • 25 September 2015, 21:23

    Nasrallah: When they linked the issue to Zabadani, we saw a chance and we protected Fuaa and Kafraya by refraining from seizing full control of the town before reaching a solution for the two towns.

  • 25 September 2015, 21:19

    Nasrallah: We started the Zabadani battle on July 1 and seized control of all hills around the town and most of the town's territory. The militants started issuing distress calls within less than two weeks … They later floated the Fuaa-Kafraya-Zabadani equation after their leaders thought that pressure on Fuaa and Kafraya would improve their situation in Zabadani.

  • 25 September 2015, 21:09

    Nasrallah: Syria might ask Russia to send forces in the future.

  • 25 September 2015, 21:07

    Nasrallah: Iran wants Syria to remain in the axis of resistance and it does not interfere in any domestic Syrian affair and all claims in this regard are baseless. The decision in Syria is 100% Syrian and Iran is only concerned with preventing the fall of Syria into the hands of terrorism.

  • 25 September 2015, 21:05

    Nasrallah: We consider the Russian intervention a positive factor that would yield positive results. The Russian moves are coordinated with the four countries that I mentioned.

  • 25 September 2015, 21:03

    Nasrallah: We welcome any force that enters Syria to support this front, because it would be contributing to fending off the major threats that Syria and the region are facing.

  • 25 September 2015, 21:03

    Nasrallah: The Russian stance on President Assad is not ambiguous anymore … Russia and Iran are very decisive in their support for President Bashar Assad.

  • 25 September 2015, 21:01

    Nasrallah: Russia had called for a new anti-IS international coalition comprising Iran, Iraq, Turkey and the current alliance that is facing the group. Several meetings were held between senior officials of these countries and they engaged in a serious discussion about forming a real anti-terror force.

  • 25 September 2015, 20:57

    Nasrallah: The Russian intervention is a key factor that has convinced everyone, including the Americans and the Turks, that Moscow is serious in its new moves.

  • 25 September 2015, 20:54

    Nasrallah: Today we're witnessing the failure of the anti-IS U.S. strategy and international coalition. The Europeans are now facing a new challenge, the challenge of the refugees, and they're facing two choices – ending the war in Syria or taking in the refugees. The Iranian nuclear deal is also a factor, as the Americans thought they could convince Iran through negotiations to bargain over Syria, but this has also ended.

  • 25 September 2015, 20:50

    Nasrallah: The aim of the 5-year global war on Syria was to topple the regime and seize control of the country, but the perseverance of Syria and its allies was the main factor behind what we're witnessing today.

  • 25 September 2015, 20:47

    Nasrallah in response to question if Hizbullah has become “bigger than the state”: Hizbullah is a Lebanese party and due to the regional events and our alliances and friendships, we now have a sort of regional influence.

  • 25 September 2015, 20:44

    Nasrallah on latest political developments regarding Syrian crisis: The recent developments can be attributed to the perseverance in Syria.

  • 25 September 2015, 20:39

    Nasrallah: The countries that were most affected should join the inquiry into the incident.

  • 25 September 2015, 20:37

    Nasrallah: The incident must not be politicized but it is very logical that the Saudi government must bear the responsibility.

  • 25 September 2015, 20:36

    Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in an interview on al-Manar TV: The hajj incident was very tragic.

Comments 29
Thumb beatryce 25 September 2015, 20:47

i can assure you on the tomb of my son hadi and on the integrity of zeynib and the conscience of imamu ali that we are here to protect lebanon and not the shias.

free Bahrain
free Yemen
free Syria
free Iraq
free Egypt
free Lebanon
free Thailand
free Argentine
free Bulgaria
free Peru
free Nigeria
free Beirut
free Jerusalem through Zabadani

Thumb justin 25 September 2015, 20:54

Nasrallah in response to question if Hizbullah has become “bigger than the state”: Hizbullah is a Lebanese party and due to the regional events and our alliances and friendships, we now have a sort of regional influence.

what kind of answer was that?! He did not deny that his party is "bigger than the state"!
Arrogant

Thumb marcus 25 September 2015, 21:28

نصرالله: نطمح لأن تكون كل الحدود اللبنانية - السورية ممسوكة وإبعاد الجماعات المسلحة عن الحدود ما يحمي لبنان.

نصرالله: كان لا بد أن تنتهي معركة الزبداني منذ فترة بعيدة ونحن مددنا المعركة لحماية الفوعة كفريا اللتين أدخلا إلى المعركة من قبل المسلحين.

If your objective as you claim is to protect the Lebanese borders why did you stop short of "liberating" Zabadani as a result of the siege on the 2 shia villages ( الفوعة كفريا ) that are hundreds of kms away from Zabadani and the Lebanese border. The reality is your war is pure sectarian and when the rebels besieged the 2 shia villages, you had to accept the truce to protect your shia sect in those two villages. Your war has nothing to do with Lebanon, its borders, or its people.

Thumb marcus 25 September 2015, 21:33

نصرالله: بداية التفاوض كان بزيارة المبعوث الاممي المكلف متابعة الملف السوري استيفان دي ميستورا إلى طهران ليوصل مطلب الجهات المعنية من المعارضة السورية بوقف قصف الفوعة كفريا مقابل وقف قصف الزبداني، وأشير إلى أن الإيراني هنا كان دور الوسيط فقط ولا يتخذ القرار.

lol...lol.... why didn't the U.N envoy negotiate with the Assad regime given that it is supposedly assad forces that are fighting in Zabadani instead of going through the Iranian intermediary as he says;))

Thumb EagleDawn 25 September 2015, 21:37

The day this sectarian terrorist is brutally murdered is the day we celebrate our independence.

Default-user-icon Abu Nuss Lsein (Guest) 25 September 2015, 22:04

southern and how are fou7a and kafraya in Lebanon's interest? Stop pretending you know something about nothing. You are borderline literate let alone express a political opinion!

Thumb saturn 25 September 2015, 22:19

He's not "scarifying" for me or for you.

Default-user-icon illegitimate & illiterate.southern (Guest) 25 September 2015, 23:12

please stay lebanese and never change
you set an example
bravo

Thumb shab 25 September 2015, 23:02

Filthy murdering militia

Thumb ex-fpm 25 September 2015, 23:03

southern do you understand what your iranian leader just said or you want to keep harping on the same old tune of "lebanese resistance"...? Your iranian leader just said he accepted the truce in Zabadani for the sake of saving 2 shia villages that are pretty distant from Zabadani. What is so Lebanese about that;)?!

Thumb ex-fpm 25 September 2015, 23:09

nassrallah knows of all our intentions;)

Thumb Mystic 26 September 2015, 00:39

It's a new era now. The west seems to finally pull away from the Middle East and Syria, Iran and Russia will in cooperation fight the takfiris until Syria is stabilized.

Once again the beloved Sayed settles all the facts.

Europe and U.S are now more concerned about the thousands of refugees, than they are in removing Assad.

Thumb Mystic 26 September 2015, 10:10

Did the war end yet? Is Assad still in power? You are the one mad Mcdonalds eating chump crying about civilians.
Go support the refugees or work for peace if you care about them so much.
You have more sympathy to the takfiris than the actual civilians.

Thumb jaafar.ibn.iblees 26 September 2015, 10:23

did you admit yet? Is this a martyred iranian jihadi terrorist family in your avatar?

Thumb -phoenix1 26 September 2015, 17:31

(1). Mystic, bombastic as ever. The West never pulled out of Syria, neither did the Gulf countries. Russia is upping the ante hoping to tilt the scales, but right as we speak, the regime is losing ground in Syria. Do people like me want to see a victory of Daesh in Syria? Hell no, but we surely would like to see the real Syrian opposition win the war as was originally aimed for, at first politically but now then only through weapons.

Thumb -phoenix1 26 September 2015, 17:31

(2). Mystic. This is now the aim, weaken Daesh, give the moderate Syrian groupings take what they can, and leave the regime with some territory, under which Russia can keep its bases in the region. Poor Mystic, in the absence of a real and decisive victory by your Hezbollah which makes part of the 200,000 strong grouping fighting alongside the regime, even a glimmer of help jolts you to your feet. The West and Russia are carving out Syria at the expense of Syrian blood only to rebuild it when the time comes right for them. In the meantime, the deaths of Fezbollah fighters is seen by them as just coin change, or Fratah or far2 3emleh as we call it here.

Thumb -phoenix1 26 September 2015, 17:33

(3). Mystic. Now that I replied to your usual absurd post I can already anticipate your trolling to a whole new level, aided as usual by your M8 friends. Anyway, shou 3andnah, it's the weekend, you're stuffed with lots of mutton, digestion should be your priority now.

Default-user-icon PEACE (Guest) 26 September 2015, 01:33

I can't but appreciate Nasrallah's manipulation of his cover Aoun to fulfil Iranian agenda.
Also I understand how old Aoun wish to die as president in the service of whoever (Iran or Devil)
I can't understand the Aoun family in deserting Christians interest and arrogantly claiming to "defend Christian interests.
Mosly I appreciate
"HOW WISE IS GEAGEA BY REFUSING TO SHARE IN THIS WASTEFUL DIALOGUE"
I believe he knows well the Lebanese saying "DOG's TAIL CAN NEVER BE STRAIGHTENED"

Thumb habib 26 September 2015, 01:44

Kezeb wa nifaq = momana3a wa mokawali

Missing Ghazanfar 26 September 2015, 01:57

Lemme ask you this hassan, let's say for argument's sake there is agreement on having the parliamentary elections before electing a president, under a proportional representation based law you love, and you guys and the cowardly general lose again will your promise to attend the parliamentary sessions to elect a president or will you keep obstructing the unconstitutional quorum ad nauseum like you are today or until the deserter kicked the bucket, 'e's shuffled off 'is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile? Never mind dude, your promises and word are not worth the hot air they generate, after all you're the very same guy who promised a calm summer in 2006; who in Doha promised not to topple the government with your "wazir al malak"; who signed on to the Baabda deceleration then reneged on your signature when the Iranian Ayatolla decreed.. It seems lying is a major part of the Jihadi duty you keep exercising. BTW, nice hat.

Missing Ghazanfar 27 September 2015, 18:38

Sorry mowaten, I did never mention who will win as it's irrelevant to this argument you idiot. The point I was making, the one you intentionally missed, is as follow; what guarantee do we, the president-less Lebanese people, have from hassan and co that if the parliamentary elections are held first and his side loses again his newly elected MPs will secure the unconstitutional quorum and attend the vote to elect a president or will they continue obstructing? Remember that before the 2009 elections hassan asserted that the majority should rule and the minority oppose, that was another of his many lies. I guess he was sure of winning.

Thumb gma-bs-artist. 26 September 2015, 02:33

Salafist Al Qaeda sympathizers.. are those like when you used to call Aoun and the Aounists Zionist Israeli sympathizers with some major anger management issues back in the years when they disagreed with this ape?

Thumb liberty 26 September 2015, 08:06

A sectarian terrorist waging sectarian wars and the biggest joke of all is he says his party is a Lebanese party but he commits ethnic cleansing in Syrian towns and villages.

Default-user-icon PEACE (Guest) 26 September 2015, 08:18

To whoever manage the supervision of this site;
I'd like to ask politely why you are discarding my comments.
Is there any prejudice against me (giving that you know my real identity)
As i see it my comments are not offensive, yhey express my feelings as a lebanese citizen.
Could't be you want to protect me? eventually, a private answer is appreciated

Thumb habib 26 September 2015, 10:10

Lash badna 3ajuz aw sharshabill ya a3hara nass

Thumb -phoenix1 26 September 2015, 17:23

Hassan Nasrallah is stuck, this is all there's to it. he knows Aoun doesn't make any more sense, but has to cling onto him in typical style as taught to him by his Syrian masters, hoping to play for time, hoping that eventually at the eleventh hour something could happen to change things for the better. Saying he wants a strong president simply means he wants a puppet backed by weapons. But Nasrallah can keep barking till sunset, Aoun will never be president, and playing for time has proven to be a bad idea.

Thumb -phoenix1 26 September 2015, 17:42

Southern, please, do NOT insult our intelligence, Hezbollah is not a Lebanese resistance, never was and never will be. It is still called the Islamic Resistance, period. Ever since Syria was kicked out of Lebanon in 2005, Hezbollah needed allies, but only stooge allies like the FPM, so you changed your tune a little, from the Wilayet El Faqih rhetoric to the party that is here to defend the minorities of the country and the region if it came to that. Hezbollah is still as Shiite Iranian as it ever was and if and when given the chance, will simply push aside stooges like Aoun and declare its theocracy in Lebanon. sadly, Karma is a bitch, the Al Assad regime is in dire straights, Iran has concluded its deal with the devil and Hezbollah is bleeding now profusely to the point where Israel doesn't even bother anymore about them much vaunted HA rockets. For what was once deemed a formidable militia, HA is but a pathetic remnant of whatever you people wanted to project.

Thumb _mowaten_ 26 September 2015, 23:42

lol so much hate only indicate the massive amount of b-hurt that Nasrallah is inflicting upon you zionists and takfiris

Missing CFTC 27 September 2015, 16:17

@mowaten E-X-C-E-L-L-E-N-T. Still laughing since the day you declared with a straight face you were a shiaa atheist and also a member of hezbollah with only one account. I think i will also continue to laugh at your statement " lol so much hate only indicate the massive amount of ". Thank you Thank you