Rifi, Miqati and Harb Slam Hariri's Endorsement of Aoun

Ex-PM Najib Miqati, resigned Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi and Telecom Minister Butros Harb on Thursday hit out at ex-PM Saad Hariri's official endorsement of Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun for the presidency.

“We will not accept to surrender the country to the Iranian project,” Rifi tweeted shortly after Hariri announced the endorsement in a televised speech.

“The era of underestimating people's intelligence and dignity has ended,” the minister added, promising more stances in the near future.

Miqati for his part warned that Hariri's move is a “new adventure,” hoping it will not lead the country to “further rifts and deterioration.”

Harb meanwhile lamented what he called “the triumph of political blackmail.”

At least five members of Hariri's Mustaqbal bloc, including its head ex-PM Fouad Saniora, have also said that they will not vote for Aoun.

In his endorsement of Aoun earlier in the day, Hariri described his decision as a “major political risk” that he is willing to take for the sake of the country.

“This decision stems from the need to protect Lebanon, the political system, the State and people... It is a decision based on agreement to cooperate to preserve the system, strengthen the State, reactivate economy and dissociate ourselves from the Syrian crisis,” he said.

“Yes, this is a major political risk, but I'm willing to risk myself, my popularity and my political future one thousand times to protect all of you,” Hariri noted.

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 MP Suleiman 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.