The head of the Free Patriotic Movement in Lebanon, MP Gebran Bassil, announced the intersection of the movement with other parliamentary blocs on the name of Jihad Azour as a presidential candidate, among other names that the movement considered "appropriate and unprovocative."
The Lebanese National News Agency quoted Bassil on Sunday as saying that "the intersection on more than one name gives more flexibility and constitutes a positive and important development, so no one accuses the current of disruption."
He saw in "the consensus on the name of a candidate and the agreement of the main blocs to support him and give him the necessary representation, compensation for the lack of access to those who have the Christian representation," and revealed that in the event of a call for an election session, the current will vote for the name that was agreed upon instead of voting in the white paper.
He stressed that "the concern of the movement is to get out of the presidential vacuum and the arrival of a president of the republic that suits the stage and enjoys the support of the movement, to succeed without being the candidate of the movement, so the latter does not bear the burden of his mistakes if he fails, but the support he will receive is so that he can gather the Lebanese around a sovereign project reform rescue."
Bassil explained that "the white paper no longer serves its purpose, but has become the expression of inability or failure to seek to fill the vacuum," explaining that "the intersection if on the name is a necessary achievement, but not enough to elect the president because what is required on the one hand is to agree with the other party without challenging it."
He pointed out that the current stage does not allow the arrival of a president of the republic from the current, and even if he arrives under the current regime and the controlling system will not succeed, the current equations external and internal, will not allow a president of the current to achieve more than what President Michel Aoun has achieved, as he put it.
He said that the understanding of the Lebanese and their agreement on the president and the program is the solution, adding, "In conclusion, we want a president who is not imposed on us, but we also do not impose on anyone the name of the president, and this is the possible equation today."
Bassil called for taking advantage of what he described as a historical moment, and not to miss the opportunity for regional rapprochement, but rather to unify the Lebanese project, stressing that "the only remaining profit is winning the battle of state-building, after we won the battle against terrorism, and achieved balance with Israel," he said.
Since President Michel Aoun's term ended at the end of October, Lebanon's parliament has failed 11 times to elect a successor due to deep political divisions.
Lebanon is experiencing its worst economic crisis since the 2019 financial collapse amid a deep political impasse.