Bassil Dismisses Franjieh's Remarks: We Won't Compete with Him in Parliament
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil hinted Wednesday that the Change and Reform bloc and Hizbullah will not take part in any parliamentary session involving a competition over the presidential post between bloc chief MP Michel Aoun and Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh.
Bassil's statement came only hours after Franjieh boasted that his presidential bid enjoys the support of 70 out of 127 MPs and noted that only “forty” lawmakers would vote for Aoun.
“I didn't know that we have started counting votes but we will not reach a stage during which we compete with Franjieh in parliament,” Bassil underlined during an interview with MTV.
“During the past 34 sessions, we were sparing the country the trap of having a weak president,” Bassil added, referring to Change and Refrom and Hizbullah's boycott of electoral sessions.
Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of successor and al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri launched late in 2015 a proposal to nominate Franjieh as president.
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, Hariri's ally in the March 14 camp, was a presidential candidate at the time and some observers have said that the LF leader has recently nominated Aoun for the presidency as a “reaction” to Hariri's proposal, a claim Geagea has denied.
“When the majority of Christians reach an agreement, it would be difficult to disregard,” Bassil said during the interview.
“Should they bypass Christian consensus, the idea of coexistence itself would become in question,” Bassil warned.
He explained that “a gradual buildup led to the LF's support for General Aoun's nomination,” adding that the two parties must seek to take their agreement to a higher level.
“The biggest say in the presidential issue belongs to Christians and this is a firm principle that we will not renounce,” added Bassil.
Turning to Change and Reform's alliance with Hizbullah, Bassil noted that the party is still committed to its support for Aoun's presidential bid.
“Hizbullah is in the picture of our agreement with the LF and it has a great interest in it,” Bassil added.
Y.R.
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