Chances Rise for Jamali in Tripoli By-Elections after Rifi’s Withdrawal

Following ex-Minister Ashraf Rifi’s withdrawal from waging Tripoli’s by-elections in favor of Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s candidate Dima Jamali, it is still unclear whether her rival Taha Naji of the Association of Islamic Charitable Projects is going to withdraw himself, reports said on Wednesday.

Tuesday’s reconciliation between Prime Minister Saad Hariri and ex-minister Ashraf Rifi resulted in the latter’s withdrawal. “We are rising above trivial things because the country is in danger and the priority is for confronting the challenges,” Rifi said.

Ex-minister Rashid Derbas and ex-PM Fouad Saniora have exerted efforts to mediate the reconciliation between the two men.

Hariri, Rifi, Derbas and Saniora met at the latter’s residence on Tuesday.

Derbas told al-Liwaa daily: “It was not difficult to mend ties between the two because of their initial willingness to turn the page on previous disagreements and reconcile.”

He added: “It was not difficult to convince Rifi not to wage Tripoli’s by-elections,” in favor of Dima Jamali whose membership was revoked by the Constitutional Council after an appeal submitted by Naji.

Derbas explained that discussions about disagreements between the two men over political options that Hariri adopted before, “did not take more than five minutes.”

Hariri concluded that it is everyone's right to disagree with politics, but our responsibilities require us to meet and cooperate in the interest of the citizen and the unity of the same class.

Derbas noted that Rifi is set to hold a press conference on Thursday “where he is going to announce his intention to withdraw, that will contribute to securing the win for al-Mustaqbal Movement candidate Dima Jamali by acclamation.”

On the other hand, sources of the Association of Islamic Charitable Projects of Naji, have not yet determined whether to wage the elections or not.