Geagea Balances between Factors Linked to Candidacy, Straightening Political Situation

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Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has said that the decision to announce his candidacy for the presidency lied on several factors but the presidential elections should first be preceded by straightening the country's political situation.

“We will discuss it with our allies and inside the LF executive authority at the appropriate time although my decision is linked to a group of factors that will determine if I will be a candidate or not,” Geagea told several local dailies in interviews published on Thursday.

But Lebanon's political life should first return to its normal situation and the rest will be just details, he said.

“The essential for me is to hold the presidential elections on time in accordance to constitutional and democratic principles,” Geagea said.

“Any person can announce his candidacy, propose his plan and carry out his electoral campaign. Then, all lawmakers should perform their duties and participate in a session to avoid lack of quorum,” he added.

The LF chief told the newspapers that he would congratulate the person that the parliament chose irrespective of his feelings towards him.

“This is the normal constitutional path that we should reconsider without waiting a go-ahead from abroad or an internal precondition for choosing a president,” he said.

Asked whether LF MPs would vote for their rival Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun if he announced his candidacy, Geagea said: “Of course not … Aoun has a political plan that fully contradicts with ours.”

Geagea stressed that the March 14 alliance hasn't yet agreed on a candidate. But said there was a 99 percent chance to agree on a name.

“The strong president has a clear plan,” he said.

Asked about electing a former army chief, Geagea said such a case is “exceptional with all due respect and appreciation to Gen. Jean Qahwaji.”

President Michel Suleiman was army chief when he was elected for a six-year term to the country's top post.

Geagea called for the swift formation of a new government “because the situation in the country is very awful.”

“The cabinet will be formed despite all the challenges and obstacles that we are facing before the end of Suleiman's term” in May 2014, he said.

The LF chief expected the government to see light in the first two months of 2014.

But he reiterated his rejection to give the March 8 and March 14 alliances 9 ministers each and granting centrists 6 ministers in a 24-member cabinet.

“This will burn us,” he told the dailies.

In response to Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's remarks that the March 14 camp would regret the rejection of the 9-9-6 formula, Geagea said: “We won't regret the choices we make although we could win or lose.”

In a statement he issued later Thursday, Geagea lauded Suleiman for responding to Nasrallah's latest accusations that Saudi Arabia was behind the twin suicide bombings that targeted the Iranian Embassy last month.

Suleiman on Wednesday slammed the criticism directed by Nasrallah against Riyadh.

Without mentioning him, the president said: “We should not ruin Lebanon's relations with Saudi Arabia by making baseless accusations against it.”

Comments 16
Thumb general_puppet 05 December 2013, 09:06

Karim you are confused butchering Lebanese is Nasrallah & his Axis partner Assad's job.

Thumb general_puppet 05 December 2013, 09:10

As usual Geagea's speaks the truth. Whether the M8 cheerleaders like it or not, Geagea is a man and their idol Aoun is a rag doll.

Thumb general_puppet 05 December 2013, 09:31

Flame spare me your drama queen speeches. "reach out to their opponents in an attempt to reconcile and be constructive"… don't make me laugh, this BS show that Berri and Aoun are putting on is meaningless. M8 is subservient to Hizbullah & Hisbullah is the Ayatollah's tool, all the talk in the world is not going to change that fact.

Thumb Chupachups 05 December 2013, 12:10

i love the sophisticated comments from m8 cheer leaders,,...lolllllll

Thumb mckinl 05 December 2013, 10:45

The point of the article is to pretend that Geagea has a chance of becoming president ... They keep throwing out his name to pretend anyone cares what Geagea thinks when we all know that Geagea thinks whatever the KSA tells him to think. They don't even invite him to Riyadh anymore.

Thumb mckinl 05 December 2013, 11:10

@ ice-man

Geagea is not invited to Riyadh anymore because they know that his advice he gives is terrible and that his popularity at home leaves leaves him weak and vulnerable, unable to carry out any political agenda.

Geagea is in "no man's land" having betrayed first Lebanon and then the Christian constituency. Geagea's next invitation to the KSA will come from Saad not the government, just to give Geagea some credit, that is if Saad can get this PR by a hierarchy disenchanted with Geagea's ineptitude.

Thumb mckinl 05 December 2013, 10:48

Geagea is done ... The Saudis don't even invite their puppet to Riyadh anymore ... That is how far Geagea has fallen.

Missing trigger 05 December 2013, 11:01

This is all just propaganda...
1- M8 will agree either on Aoun or Franjieh.
2- M14 will agree on their candidate.
3- M8 christians will argue because Aoun won't admit Franjieh is better than him and clear the way.
4- Once candidates selected on both sides, M8, M14, and their candidates will be at eachother's throats.
5- Deadlines will be reached and extension to President Sleimane's term will take place.

3oushtoum wa 3acha Loubnan

Missing lebanon4ever 05 December 2013, 12:14

Realistically regardless of whom either m8 or m14 choose we should have a new president when president suliemans term expires. Either camp should have enough to to get a second round majority of 64+1. Enough is enough. The country is becoming a laughing stick.

Missing lebanon4ever 05 December 2013, 12:14

Laughing stock!

Default-user-icon hanoun (Guest) 05 December 2013, 12:07

ya hakim
the person who disrupted the finding of a fair electoral law should not give lessons on the presidential elections
btw under the taef accord that u was the first to sign, the position of presidency suites you ya hakim ie just sit in baabda powerless

Missing --karim_m2-- 05 December 2013, 12:48

And Jumblatt too. Don't forget Jumblatt.

Yeah LOL! HAHA!

Thumb jabal10452 05 December 2013, 13:02

The LF is my party, but I am disappointed with its leadership. Geagea's credibility with me took a hit when he backed out of the election law deal that he struck with the FPM.

If you remember, The LF and the FPM hammered out a deal that had the potential of bringing the Christian parties together, and giving the Christian population some hope that their voice will matter in the future. Then Hariri put pressure on Geagea and forced him to back out of the deal within days. That about-face was not trustworthy. That was not "presidential material", if you will. Sorry, but that's the way I feel about the LF leadership. I'm disappointed.

Default-user-icon laksaj (Guest) 05 December 2013, 15:42

ayouha al unbalanced, balance nafsak

Thumb BeautifulMind 05 December 2013, 18:05

I hope Geagea is no longer doing the churches' blowing up thing. I hope he is not implicated with the 12 nuns abduction in Mallola or the 2 bishops of Syria. I recall when the bishops were abducted, he had a few phone calls with the Syrian terrorists who abducted them: he even said, that he contacted Sabra, the Syrian Terrorist Collation president at the time. I hope that Geagea learned his lesson in the 10 years of prison for blowing up AlNajat church.

Thumb jabal10452 05 December 2013, 18:20

They're taking down ALL your posts? Seems that naharnet wants monologues instead of dialogs; People confirming to each other that they are absolutely 100% correct in their opinion instead of having someone to give them reason to pause and reconsider.
Keep posting FT. You and I are often political rivals but I value your opinion many times over the outlandish arguments that some "m14s" post here.