FPM Official Tells Hariri His Return as PM Not Guaranteed

A senior Free Patriotic Movement official on Sunday lashed out at ex-PM Saad Hariri in remarks to LBCI television.

The official, who was not named, criticized Hariri’s “insistence on clinging to the same approach on the government, which has created a crisis after another since his resignation a year ago.”

“Christians have always respected the choice of the Sunni community, which has granted Hariri a significant parliamentary bloc… but in return he responded with arrogance and with claiming that he possesses the ability to solve problems on his own,” the official added.

“He wants to head a government in which he would be the only politician and he wants to put others outside it, in disregard for the results of the 2018 parliamentary elections. He also wants MPs to grant him an ultimate authorization to form a government of employees through which he would assume power under the label of experts,” the official charged.

He accordingly called on Hariri to “come to his senses before the date of consultations on Thursday, instead of acting as if his return is guaranteed while it is not.”

He also urged him to “prioritize cooperation with the political forces for the sake of achieving reforms, exiting the crisis and avoiding collapse, instead of insisting on ideas which the events have proven to be futile.”