Geagea Says Aoun has High Chances, Holds onto Ties with Hariri
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea said Tuesday that Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun has higher chances to be elected president, a day after he endorsed the candidacy of his long-time rival.
Following talks with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi in Bkirki, Geagea reiterated his call on parliamentary blocs to take the appropriate stance and hold the presidential elections as soon as possible.
“I don't think that the Kataeb party would take a negative stance from the unity” between the LF and the FPM, said Geagea in response to a question.
“There is no reason to have negative reactions to my endorsement” of Aoun, who is the founder of the Free Patriotic Movement, he said.
The Kataeb is expected to announce its position from Geagea's support to Aoun for the presidency on Wednesday.
Geagea also said his ties with al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri have not changed.
“What brings us together with Hariri and al-Mustaqbal Movement is bigger than any other political development,” he said.
Al-Mustaqbal bloc is expected to announce its stance from the LF-FPM attempt to unite Christians through Aoun's candidacy later Tuesday.
“We will reach common ground” with al-Mustaqbal, said Geagea.
Lebanon's top post has been vacant since May 2014 as Lebanese politicians failed to agree on a consensus president.
Aoun and Geagea were angered along with other Christian politicians late last year when Hariri nominated Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for president without consulting them.
G.K.
M.T.
19 January 2016, 14:01
73
A mentally ill man goes to the doctor, but the doctor makes a very wrong diagnosis....it ends-up very badly for both....
19 January 2016, 14:13
74
An evil man cannot suddenly become a good man...
Remember he has received multi-millions from Iran...which means his hands are tied for ever and he is their prisonner. He knows that if he tries to escape they will get rid of him....
He is a great coward and will keep obeying !!
20 January 2016, 00:20
10
yeah - so have all the other politicians - received money from Saudi, France, Turkey, Qatar etc... Why is Aoun singled out here??
Please if you live in a glass house, dont throw stones.
As much as i hate Aoun, I am behind this deal, or we are doomed to lose the presidency!
19 January 2016, 14:13
66
hezbollah has no more excuses not to go to parliament and elect aoun... let's wait and see their true intentions. more procrastination to come LOL!
19 January 2016, 15:39
55
don't forget that Geagea's LF is only 5 MPs. Its not a huge change. There needs to be a 2/3rds majority for the undisputed election of a president. Yes it can be argued that now its 50% plus parliament vote, but it will be important to see how Jumblutt, Berri and Hariri vote! They have all claimed its up to the christians to agree... now they have agreed, what will they do?
19 January 2016, 15:43
44
Will Franjieh's Maraada party still vote for Aoun? Will the Kaeteb vote against? All of a sudden, Lebanese politics has become interesting again! Let us see the scrambling of positions. I hope and pray it settles to allow a new president that is agreed by all sides! The Lebanon is due some good fortune!
19 January 2016, 15:17
66
Did Aoun tell Geagea he refuses this nomination and refuses to be elected by an illegitimate and illegal parliament ? guess not
19 January 2016, 15:18
46
Many thanks to Hariri for breaking the Presidential deadlock by endorsing Frangieh. Now the Christians are forced to unite and finally acknowledge all of their roles in the Syrian occupation of Lebanon and the defeat of the Republic of Lebanon in the early 1990s!
Jumblatt, Berri and Hariri have the ball in their court. Lets see the truth play out!
19 January 2016, 15:57
46
Many thanks to the Batrak Rahi! Doctor Geagea and General Aoun making peace and political alliance can only be good for the republic of Lebanon! God bless the Batrak and Dr Geagea!
19 January 2016, 17:03
33
How is he a doctor? I presume he is out of respect. How is Sayyed Nasrallah a Sayyed to me? I accept that he is, out of respect! How is the mufti a mufti? How is the General a general? Lebanese love their titles, so Sheik, Beik and the rest of the titles are fine with me when showing respect. With the hope they return that respect to the people by doing good for the Lebanese!
19 January 2016, 22:25
11
Same as Berri is "Istez" and Nasrallah is "Sayyed" and Jumblat is "Beik" ...... we Lebanese need to get rid of such titles and just call them by name or give them the title "Nossabeen" to all of them.
19 January 2016, 16:33
33
It will take 64 votes of the 128 members. Under Berri's rules, there must be a quorum first which he interprets to be not a simple majority but a 2/3 majority, or 86 members. If 43 boycott, then no session. Mustaqbel has 35 members so, it alone cannot cause a boycott. Kataeb has 5, so that would make 40 if Kataeb joins with the LF and FPM on Aoun. Jumblatt, however, has 7 and remains pivotal with Mustaqbel. Between them that is 42 without Kataeb and if they bring Chamoun's 1 seat, that's a boycott under Berri's rule.
19 January 2016, 16:40
31
If a quorum is present, Aoun would need only a simple majority, since the first vote was taken 2 years ago and did not produce a 2/3 majority for any candidate. FPM has 20 seats; LF has 8. Assuming a bare quorum of 86 seats, 43 votes is required to elect. They will still need 15 votes. Hezbollah has 13 and AMAL has 13, this should be enough to make Aoun the Christian President elected with more Shia votes than Christian. Ironic isn't it that he has gripped all these years over Muslims voting for Christian MP's and here he is ready to enter Baabda with majority Shia Moslem votes. Iranic.
19 January 2016, 16:42
31
Of course, he will be 82 years old on February 18 and his health is not so good. Will he last the 6 year term to age 88? Once Aoun has left the national stage, the election of a President will not be so difficult as it will no longer have the Aoun veto to pass before coming to fruition.
19 January 2016, 17:00
01
Sunnis lack good leadership...Until they have a good leader, they will always be screwed by everybody. Him nominating the Marada leader was the stupidest thing ever. What was he thinking? As a Sunni, I do not blame Geagea for nominating Aoun. At least he care about his community unlike Hariri.
19 January 2016, 17:30
24
This is Geagea. Two women were fighting over a child both claiming to be the mother and so the dispute was taken to King Solomon for resolution. Well back then without DNA, how could he decide, both claims seemed legitimate. So he rendered his decision, he would order the baby cut in half and award one half to each woman. One woman agreed, half a loaf is better than none. The other said that she could not let the baby be killed and so conceded to giving the child to the other woman.
In this way, Solomon determined the identity of the true mother. The one who would deny herself to save her child. This is Geagea.
20 January 2016, 00:35
02
. . . With two miracles attributed to him. One that Aoun is elected and two that Aoun overcomes his Alzeimers disease. Then, sainthood
19 January 2016, 17:51
03
Now that the two biggest christian parties agreed on Aoun, it will be so interesting if Berri and Jumblatt respect this. If now there should be LF/FPM-demos to show their dismay.
19 January 2016, 19:15
12
With his age and mental behavior, he won't last 6 years he will die much earlier in Baabda
