Geagea Hopes Berri Will be '4th Pillar' of 'Mustaqbal-FPM-LF Equation'
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea noted Friday that “a new equation comprising al-Mustaqbal Movement, the Free Patriotic Movement and the LF has started to emerge in the country,” hoping Speaker Nabih Berri will be “the fourth pillar of this equation.”
“Ties between me and Speaker Berri are friendly. They have always been friendly and will remain so,” Geagea told a delegation from the Press Syndicate when asked if there are any tensions between him and the speaker.
“Despite the conflicting viewpoints on the cabinet formation process, there is no political rivalry,” he added.
Geagea noted that the LF “has done everything possible to facilitate the formation of the cabinet,” including giving up its demand for a so-called “sovereign ministerial portfolio.”
“But it seems that some parties were seeking to address quick messages to the new presidential tenure. We are not guests in this country and, like others, we have the right to get any ministerial portfolio,” the LF leader went on to say.
He pointed out that “some parties tried to send indirect messages to President Michel Aoun that the president and the premier are not alone in charge of forming the cabinet.”
“But together with General Aoun, we will not tolerate the continuation of the hegemony era practices, seeing as we have a Constitution that stipulates that the president and the premier are the ones who form the government,” Geagea added.
After resolving the obstacle of the LF's demand for a sovereign portfolio, horsetrading is currently revolving around the services-related ministries, mainly the public works, telecommunications and energy portfolios.
While Marada Movement, backed by Berri, is insisting on getting one of the three portfolios, the LF and the FPM are reportedly rejecting such a distribution, citing Marada's opposition to Aoun's election as president.
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