Aoun wades into debate over 'electoral money'

President Michel Aoun has stepped into the ongoing debate in the country over electoral spending, days after a war of words erupted over the issue between the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces.

"With the rise in the levels of electoral money, I remember what I wrote in 1998: 'Avoid voting for candidates for what's in their pockets, because that belongs to them. Choose them for what's in their hearts and minds, because this belongs to you,'" Aoun tweeted.

"Work on electing the honorable candidates who enjoy the will to work, seeing as honor protects them from humiliations and the will to work gives them the ability to implement and achieve,'" Aoun added, repeating his 1998 advice.

FPM chief Jebran Bassil had on Sunday filed a complaint against the LF and the Kataeb Party, accusing them of exceeding the allowed limit of electoral spending in a "blatant and extreme manner."

Bassil cited the quantity of billboards and unipoles rented by the two parties for their campaigns.

The LF hit back at Bassil, calling him "the thief of the republic."

"Discussing electoral ceilings begins after the end of parliamentary elections, seeing as the electoral expenses are still ongoing, and accordingly the supervisory commission can rule on who exceeded the allowed ceilings and who didn't after receiving all the bills in the wake of the elections," the LF added.