Rivalries Likely to Keep Baabda Palace Vacant
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
A parliamentary session set for the election of a new president next month will likely meet the fate of its predecessors despite the rapprochement between the Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement.
The February 8 session will most probably be boycotted by March 8 and 14 lawmakers over their fears that the results would not be in their favor, An Nahar daily said Friday.
The newspaper quoted parliamentary sources as saying that if the session was held, then the votes for the most powerful candidates FPM founder MP Michel Aoun and Marada movement chief lawmaker Suleiman Franjieh will be very close.
On Monday, LF chief Samir Geagea endorsed the candidacy of Aoun. His move came after al-Mustaqbal movement chief ex-PM Saad Hariri clinched a deal with Franjieh last year to back him for the presidency in return for Hariri to return to the Grand Serail.
Despite Geagea's support for Aoun, Hariri is sticking to his decision to back Franjieh.
Several parliamentary blocs announced their stance but others, including Hizbullah and the Kataeb, are yet to issue their positions.
The country's top Christian post has been vacant since May 2014. Since then, more than 30 sessions that Speaker Nabih Berri has called for have been adjourned over lack of quorum.
G.K.
D.A.
22 January 2016, 08:57
44
me and @nonabel thought that now hezbollah would attend and elect aoun. As a devout shia I am appalled.
22 January 2016, 09:03
43
More like exposing how weak he is knowing he had no chance so instead him and Aoun the other idiot payed the most dirtiest game in all of the Lebanese Christian history combined to try and eliminate all the other Christian parties. History dose repet they spit the Christians before for personal interest and doing it again, rather than coming together with all four of the large Christian parties and showing they care they rather spit on the death of all the men who died for their BS and try and eliminate the rest of the other Christians.
22 January 2016, 10:26
44
Caporal wants to be the one and only candidate : "Me, or nobody".
This is not an election but a totalitarian imposed dictatorship nomination...
22 January 2016, 14:18
13
what did general Aoun and M. Frangieh say about trash problem and what did they say about Samaha liberation. I probably missed their declarations.
22 January 2016, 15:37
11
They have been blaming Christian disunity for the vacancy of the president... Now that the 2 main Christian rivals have agreed and reconciled, who do they now blame? The Christains now have agreed on Aoun, Hezbollah, amal claim they agree that Aoun should be president. Jumblatt has publicly claimed he supports the reapporchment and alliance of the LF and FPM. So who is left to obstruct the election of the President?
