Aoun to Withdraw Presidential Candidacy in Return for New Electoral Law
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun will reportedly propose an indirect initiative where he would “give up his right” to become a president in return for the adoption of a new electoral law that better represents Christians.
According to the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat published on Sunday, Aoun's circles said that he informed the concerned parties that he “is not clinging to the presidential post” as long as there would be an agreement of a new electoral law.
“He is demanding the treatment of Christians equally and the best way would be by staging parliamentary polls according to a law that better represents Christians,” sources told the newspaper.
Lebanon will enter on August 20 a deadline to agree on a new electoral law ahead of the November elections.
However, the daily reported that the March 14 alliance will most-likely reject Aoun's initiative.
Speaker Nabih Berri rejects the staging of parliamentary elections ahead of presidential poll.
In May 2013, the parliament voted to extend its own mandate for 17 months after the rival political parties failed to reach a new electoral law.
Around 100 MPs from all blocs, except the Change and Reform bloc, voted to extend parliament's term until November 20, 2014.
Aoun's Change and Reform bloc MP Hikmat Deeb refused in comments to Asharq al-Awsat “any rumors about a bargain concerning the presidential elections.”
“The bloc's proposal is a roadmap that would allow the agreement on a new balanced electoral law, which better represents the Lebanese, and the elections of a president who has the majority of votes.”
Lebanon has been plunged into a leadership vacuum after Michel Suleiman's presidential term ended on May 25 with rival political blocs still divided over a new leader.
The parliament convened nine times to try to elect a successor to Suleiman but failed during the last eight sessions due to a lack of quorum.
H.K.
27 July 2014, 09:25
39
More damage has been done to the christians by this man than any other ever. Blackmail as always, lies as always, finger pointing as always.
27 July 2014, 09:33
39
He says he is not a candidate unless there is consensus on him. There is no consensus, therefore he is not a candidate. Why the blackmail and bargaining then.... typical Aoun.
27 July 2014, 09:46
92
I request partition, this is a country that does not respect the Christian - there are idiots in this forum that still target Aoun as a person, but is 1 Million Christians !!!!!!!!!! Aoun is the Majority of the Christian !!
27 July 2014, 10:28
28
Aoun's dreams of the presidency are like vows of "death do us part".
27 July 2014, 12:33
16
Clinging to his right to be President?? He let goes of one impossible condition, only to set up new impossible conditions. Thereby, he has the entire country paralyses and imobilized without Hezbollah's hand ever being shown. It is Hezbollah that wants to put the government on ice. It's almost like Aoun has been tasked with the role he is plying and neither Aoun. Nor his zilm Deputiescan do anything but obey. Otherwise, why would Christians do this to themselves??
27 July 2014, 14:30
13
نقولا للـ"ام تي في": نحترم رأي البطريرك لكننا لا نعتبر نفسنا لا من فريق 14 ولا من فريق 8 آذار ونحن مع انتخاب رئيس ولكننا نريد رئيساً قوي
Don't know if I should laugh or cry. Idiocies spewed by idiots for the regular consumption of FPM idiots.
27 July 2014, 15:33
01
How can we throw all current MPs out and elect new ones that are honest, smart, and work for Lebanon's prosperity and nothing else?
27 July 2014, 16:00
14
If Flamethrower's comments weren't deleted from another article, I'd be able to copy-paste a comment in which he said Aoun wasn't a candidate. Binary, you're the one who's brain-dead. Roar, I don't see a problem with 14 March basing their agenda around Aoun being a hypocrite. This man said he isn't a candidate unless he can be agreed on, then goes on tv to say he'd protect Hariri if he's elected president, and now he'll "give up his right" to become president. Tony, Aoun represents the majority of Christians according to the 2009 parliamentary elections. Then you say, "well everyone but Aoun voted to extend Parliament's term." Truth is that Aoun "voted against it" knowing that his votes wouldn't change the result, thus making him look like the only good guy. He wants to portray himself as a protector of Christians, when he cares about himself only.
27 July 2014, 16:02
12
Aoun proposes new laws at his own convenience. Because he can't get elected president, he comes up with the brilliant idea to let the people vote. This should have been proposed 6 years ago when Michel Sleiman was appointed (not elected) president, to prevent vacuum from happening again. Instead, he waited for vacuum again and wants to look like a hero who's looking for a solution.
27 July 2014, 16:07
12
After all, this is the guy who's boycotting Parliament. If he really wanted to be president, why can't he announce his candidacy and go head-to-head to Geagea? What's he scared of, if he represents the majority of Christians like Tony suggested? He'll only run if there's consensus on him? He'll run only "if the conditions are suitable? " In other words, "only if I'm assured victory I'll run"
27 July 2014, 16:12
12
In the same interview in which he said he could protect Hariri, he said "nothing is more important than national unity, and weapons are not our priority." Really? Hezbollah's weapons are the reason there is no unity. Then he said "without the support of the Shiites, Druze, and Hezbollah, I won't become president." What about support of the Sunnis and all Christians, who you claim to represent? Then he said "I never endorse vacuum." Yeah, that's why he boycotted some 10 electoral sessions.
27 July 2014, 16:17
12
I've taken things he's said and proven his hypocrisy. Yet you guys still follow this guy for some reason. This has nothing to do with 14th of March or Geagea. These are all things Aoun has said and done by himself. This man lost all the honour he had, and he keeps digging himself a deeper hole.
27 July 2014, 16:26
12
Michel Aoun does not represent the majority of Christians. The Change and Reform bloc has 29 seats, not FPM. The FPM is part of the Change and Reform bloc, which includes Marada, Tashnag, Hezb al-Democrateh and Hezb al-Tadamon al-Libnaneh. The FPM has only 19 of these 29 seats.
27 July 2014, 16:31
12
Not to mention LF and Kateab, who have 13 seats between them. So between Change and Reform bloc and these two M14 parties that's 42 Christian seats. FPM's 19 is not a majority. Then there's some other meaningless Christian parties who aren't worth mentioning.
27 July 2014, 16:37
12
And before any of you say "Aoun leads the Change and Reform bloc", he does. But that doesn't mean Franjieh can't leave his bloc.
27 July 2014, 17:21
02
Roar, I'm posting 24/7 because it's worth it if I'm denouncing Aoun. All you say is "Aoun is and by a landslide the most popular leader in Lebanon" when I gave statistics and excerpts from Aoun's interview on 2 April 2014.
Here's mine enjoy it http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/124927
Who is fellas? You're talking to me, I speak on behalf of all anti-lunatics. Where are your statistics and excerpts to support your statement that he is the most popular Christian leader? Where are your facts to refute my evidence? Or you just wanna disregard these facts because you love the General? He was a general 25 years ago, not today. He is an 80-year-old with the onset of dementia.
27 July 2014, 17:22
02
when I give statistics and excerpts and now links* proving that he is not the most popular Christian leader**
27 July 2014, 17:25
01
If you love Aoun so much, why don't you work for OTV? Because like you implied, Naharnet is full of March 14ers. I'm not with 14th of March, nor do I need to be to despise Aoun's hypocritical, delusional policies. You just like Aoun because you liked him when he came out of exile, and you refuse to see that he went wrong.
27 July 2014, 17:30
01
If you had any sense of judgement, any sense of morals, or any sense of logic, you would see that Michel Aoun over-exaggerates his true power to undermine Christian unity. Hezbollah is sitting in their underground bunkers at what a nuisance Aoun has made of himself. But on the surface (that is the streets of Haret Hreyk and Bir al-Abed), Hezbollah takes a diplomatic approach to not humiliate their ally. They're just letting Aoun sabotage the elections because they don't want a strong president who will outlaw their weapons.
27 July 2014, 17:53
01
You Aouniyeh think so naive. You defend this guy and don't even know his true intentions. He says he's the leader of the Christians to keep the Christians divided, knowing that he'll never unite the Christians. All he wants is to become president and will do anything to get there. And when he becomes president he's just gonna continue turning a blind eye on Hezbollah's illegalities. He wants to be president but doesn't even announce his nomination, then offers to withdraw it. He wants to be president but doesn't lay out a program to the press. He wants to be president just because he wants to without giving any logic or reasoning. He wants to be president for the glory
27 July 2014, 17:54
03
guys please wake up and stop supporting that mental guy he did nothing right for this country and roar just 1 question what did this retard so called aoun ever did to you that you support him in a blind way please wake up for gods sake, to be honest nick james is the only dude that is talking straight and most importantly acknowledging what the hell is happening to Lebanon how the hell is it falling on its knees because of people like you roar supporting a psychopath
27 July 2014, 18:09
00
Roar, this is not about the civil war. Aoun was right and Geagea was wrong. Read my comments on this article
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/140567-geagea-says-lebanon-a-prison-with-no-security-hits-out-at-aoun-nasrallah
Stop making me out to be a 2uwwetji.
27 July 2014, 18:13
01
And stop bringing up things from the civil war. Just because Geagea was wrong back then doesn't mean Aoun gets to make things worse. Two wrongs don't make a right. If Aoun was honourable as he was during the war, he wouldn't have abandoned his anti-Syria stance and join Hezbollah. If he was scared then he should have stayed in France, because a true leader dies for a cause, like Bachir Gemayel.
27 July 2014, 18:17
01
You ever wonder why Geagea stayed in Lebanon even though he knew Syria would eventually frame him? Everyone warned him to leave, and he stayed. You think maybe it's because he regretted the things he did, and that he wasn't going to be a pansy and run away. That's called having balls. Having balls means knowing you did something wrong and took a punishment for a crime you didn't even commit i.e. the church bombing he got framed for, which dissolved the pardon for all the crimes he did during the civil war.
27 July 2014, 18:27
00
Of course money was offered. Geagea accepted it rather than continue fighting. I wouldn't have taken the money, but everyone is different. You're still trying to argue that Aoun was honourable then, which is what I've already been saying. Now stop
27 July 2014, 18:35
01
Your posts are irrelevant. You try to argue me with points we agree on, which that Geagea was wrong. Your refugee argument was totally baseless. If Aoun really cared about securing the border, he would have the border entirely closed. That means no one can enter Lebanon, not even wounded Hezbos coming from Syria. And what about the Syrian airstrikes on Lebanon. How come Aoun didn't denounce those, Roar?
27 July 2014, 18:23
01
I'm not denouncing Aoun for fleeing, most of us would have done the same. I'm denouncing him for changing his stance so dramatically. Even though I don't like that Geagea agreed to Taef, he agreed to it because he just wanted this war to end. He knew that Christian supremacy was over and the war would never end if they kept fighting for the nationalist cause. But giving up hope is different than joining an enemy, which is exactly what Aoun did.
27 July 2014, 18:29
01
Your argument is pointless. You're attacking Geagea for what he did then, when I already know he was wrong. But what Aoun is doing today is worse.
27 July 2014, 18:31
01
Just because Aoun was right during the war doesn't make him right today. And today is what matters Roar. Aoun turned complete 180 on everything he stood for, and you damn well know that.
27 July 2014, 18:47
01
Roar, you're never gonna win this argument. Geagea was a murderer who gave up on the nationalist cause by going against Aoun, then went to jail and came out a better person. Aoun was an honourable general who stood up to Syria, then fled, then came back when Syria left, THEN allied with their proxy Hezbollah. Why did he wait for Syria to leave before returning when he allied with them afterwards? Aoun "warned to secure the border" spare me the nonsense. And that's the only stance you support him on since returning to Lebanon, as you didn't refute any of my other posts at the beginning of this article.
27 July 2014, 18:50
01
as you didn't refute any of my first posts commenting on this article*
27 July 2014, 18:51
01
You argue Geagea took money, but you really don't think Aoun took money to ally with Hezbollah? Please, it was either take the money or getting blown up.
27 July 2014, 19:10
02
perfecto no better way to explain to this guy and I bet he is stubborn enough to ignore what you said lol
27 July 2014, 19:01
01
roar are you serious we are not talking about civil war back then I respected aoun he was right but the recent decisions and BS he have been saying are mental just stop living in denial people change when they want authority and power you have to know that and that is exactly what is happening he is trying to build a good image about him in every ones mind by everyone I mean Christians and all other religions in leb and guess what people are not stupid with exception like you for example
27 July 2014, 19:12
01
When Aoun came back and had to "decide between Hezbollah and Hariri", you people always forget that he could have told both to F-off and got killed in the most honourable way, or he could have even went back to France. He didn't have to pick a side out of fear. He could have fled in fear, like he did in October 1990. "Well what about Geagea he picked Hariri." Yeah, he did. And he did so taking less seats. "Well Hariri offered him a lot of money." Well duh...but at least Hariri doesn't have a militia controlling a third of Lebanon while fighting in Syria. Are they a Lebanese "resistance" like they claim, or just a sectarian militia assisting a mass-murderer who used chemical weapons on his own people (and his father killed many Lebanese).
27 July 2014, 19:17
02
true nickjames that is one of the most retarded decision aoun ever made
27 July 2014, 19:47
03
If anyone is still reading, the moral of the story is that while Geagea put Christian nationalism in a coma at AUB hospital, Aoun left to France, came back to Lebanon, entered the hospital, saw that Nationalism still in a coma, unplugged it from the ventilator, put it in a coffin, buried it in the ground, and insulted it at its grave year after year.
27 July 2014, 19:51
02
yo nick I think you should me some sort of a political party or something lol
27 July 2014, 20:26
03
withdraw which candidacy ?
Iranians didnt allow him to say he was candidate...
