Ya Libnan

Geagea expected to launch presidential campaign on Friday, vows to save ‘sinking ship’

Share:

aoun geageaLebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea is poised to officially declare his nomination for the presidency, after his press office announced that the party’s Executive Committee will meet Friday to discuss his candidacy.

According to An Nahar newspaper, Geagea is also expected to launch his electoral campaign in his bid to succeed President Michel Suleiman whose six-year term ends on May 25.

“In the presence of the LF parliamentary bloc and the party’s central committees, the Executive Committee will convene on Friday at 12:00 PM in Maarab for consultations and discussions over the presidential bid of party leader Samir Geagea,” Geagea’s office said.

Geagea said in an interview on al-Jadeed television on Sunday that he would run in the presidential race.

“The main reason behind my nomination is that I saw the ship sinking and we need a drastic solution,” said Geagea.

An Nahar said that deputy Speaker Farid Makari has backed Geagea and would continue consultations with him over his campaign.

Maronite political leaders, including Geagea, urged Speaker Nabih Berri on Friday to press ahead with a parliamentary session to elect a new president.

Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi chaired a meeting that brought together Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Michel Aoun, Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel, and the head of the Marada movement, MP Suleiman Franjieh.

Geagea did not attend the meeting in Bkirki for security reasons but approved the statement issued by the conferees, a spokesman said Saturday.

He said all four of the political leaders are candidates in the elections.

Naharnet

Share:

Comments

17 responses to “Geagea expected to launch presidential campaign on Friday, vows to save ‘sinking ship’”

  1. Constantin7 Avatar
    Constantin7

    “Vowed to save sinking ship”, and we should believe whatever Geagea says, because he has a history of good deeds to Lebanon, the Lebanese and especially the Christian Lebanese….Neither this man nor his rival Aoun should even dream of the Presidency ! Actually, they should simply think of retiring, that is if they can let go of power and the hunger for more power.

    1. 5thDrawer Avatar
      5thDrawer

      Actually, I think we need ‘salvage masters’. But no-one likes unions.

    2. dateam Avatar
      dateam

      I wonder what will become of Lebanon in 10-20 years time when all the war lords are gone?

      1. 5thDrawer Avatar
        5thDrawer

        I think Sleiman is trying … should hope this goes through, among other things.

        “BAABDA, Lebanon: President Michel Sleiman officially launched a draft bill for administrative decentralization Wednesday, arguing that the new legislation would promote national unity in Lebanon as well as transparency and accountability.
        Called for in the 1989 Taif Accord that ended the Civil War, the legal reforms aim to redistribute the authority, responsibility and financial resources needed to provide public services among a wider variety of levels of government”

        1. Farq2 Avatar
          Farq2

          Do you think there was anything in that draft that would help stop the bloodshed in Tripoli. I think that should be one of the first things on the Presidents agenda.

          1. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            I think the parts about a Police Force that functions for the country will be good …
            BUT in the events of Tripoli especially, where locals are complaining that Beirut ignores them all the time (true perhaps), the allowance for Tripolians to take more control of the monetary distribution for their own particular needs and decide the infrastructure projects and business events they are in need of, WILL help ALL the citizens with the NEED for jobs and reliable housing. (once the gangs are out)
            The lowering of the voting age will certainly help – as well as the age that office can be held. Sensible young people don’t really want to be having to move away all the time just to find work.
            Like all ‘drafts’ it can adjusted … but the importance is to BEGIN decentralizing for the needs of any particular zone which Beirut can’t be expected to address easily.
            Who keeps saying that Solar Panels can’t be used???

          2. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            I think the parts about a Police Force that functions for the country will be good …
            BUT in the events of Tripoli especially, where locals are complaining that Beirut ignores them all the time (true perhaps), the allowance for Tripolians to take more control of the monetary distribution for their own particular needs and decide the infrastructure projects and business events they are in need of, WILL help ALL the citizens with the NEED for jobs and reliable housing. (once the gangs are out)
            The lowering of the voting age will certainly help – as well as the age that office can be held. Sensible young people don’t really want to be having to move away all the time just to find work.
            Like all ‘drafts’ it can adjusted … but the importance is to BEGIN decentralizing for the needs of any particular zone which Beirut can’t be expected to address easily, or be familiar with.
            People with full-time work have little time to run in the streets playing ‘boss’.
            And Who keeps saying that Solar Panels can’t be used???

      2. master09 Avatar
        master09

        Remember you inherent a position in Lebanon so the kids will take over and they have a brain just as bad as the dad or uncle.

        1. dateam Avatar
          dateam

          True… if you breakdown all the political parties in lebanon or the major ones it becomes interesting or even ironic. Lets have a look: Kataeb revolves around a family….LF revolves around gagea…..Orange revolves aroun Aoun….Marada revolves around Franjieh….Mustaqbal revolves around hariri….Amal revolves around Berri…Jumblatt revolves around him…Correct? The interesting one is Hezbollah which does not revolve around a family and its structure is obscure? Heads have come and gone and been replaced which indicates it has a structural organisation based on positions not persons????

          1. Farq2 Avatar
            Farq2

            And that’s why Hezbollah will still be around after the rest have come and gone.

          2. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            Well Dateam, we know it revolves around El Supremo … Nasty’s Mentor from an impressionable age … Nasty’s ‘family’ hasn’t has time to ‘form’ yet … BUT yes, a political organization – with a ‘military wing’ which even Nasty admitted he couldn’t be expected to control – mired in ‘forever secrecy’ until Nasty spouts off with the ‘party line’ at his usual ‘speakers box’ wherever good theatre is needed. 😉
            And yes, a better internal structure than that at Babbda, which I think Suleiman is struggling to come up with.
            But we know Hezzys have only ONE main agenda … with a side-need to control Lebanon for the purpose of effecting that one agenda … and that again is because ‘the others’ need to have a real set of ‘parliamentary rules’ FOR Lebanon (not sectarian ones), and some of those have a fear of the black-shirts (or a hate for other ‘parties/families’) which causes them to join hands with the Hezzys who only ‘won’ 2 seats out of 30 in an election, but then proceeded to shut down any real governing for at least the last 5 years.
            We know what they ‘resist’, for sure sure sure. BUT – outside of their own ghetto – what is their ‘Vision For Lebanon’ and it’s varied society of jobless, mis-directed youth, which thinks having a university degree solves all humanities problems … while burning tyres and trashing the place is the norm?
            I think that if we actually heard it, they would only have 1 seat in that over-glorified ‘Cabinet’ which can’t come up with ‘governing rules’ of the bureaucracy it vainly attempts to control, and which would have Lebanon really function even when the ‘talking heads’ can’t get it together.
            I agree – that ‘handing down’ of important positions is a form of insanity in itself. No matter what ‘creationists’ believe, we are not all ‘equal’.
            Is Nastyrallah going to bring the ‘equality under law’ so desperately needed??

      3. master09 Avatar
        master09

        Remember you inherent a position in Lebanon so the kids will take over and they have a brain just as bad as the dad or uncle.

        1. dateam Avatar
          dateam

          True… if you breakdown all the political parties in lebanon or the major ones it becomes interesting or even ironic. Lets have a look: Kataeb revolves around a family….LF revolves around gagea…..Orange revolves aroun Aoun….Marada revolves around Franjieh….Mustaqbal revolves around hariri….Amal revolves around Berri…Jumblatt revolves around him…Correct? The interesting one is Hezbollah which does not revolve around a family and its structure is obscure? Heads have come and gone and been replaced which indicates it has a structural organisation based on positions not persons????

          1. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            Well Dateam, we know it revolves around El Supremo … Nasty’s Mentor from an impressionable age … Nasty’s ‘family’ hasn’t has time to ‘form’ yet … BUT yes, a political organization – with a ‘military wing’ which even Nasty admitted he couldn’t be expected to control – mired in ‘forever secrecy’ until Nasty spouts off with the ‘party line’ at his usual ‘speakers box’ wherever good theatre is needed. 😉
            And yes, a better internal structure than that at Babbda, which I think Sleiman is struggling to come up with.
            But we know Hezzys have only ONE main agenda … with a side-need to control Lebanon for the purpose of effecting that one agenda … and that again is because ‘the others’ need to have a real set of ‘parliamentary rules’ FOR Lebanon (not sectarian ones), and some of those have a fear of the black-shirts (or a hate for other ‘parties/families’) which causes them to join hands with the Hezzys who only ‘won’ 2 seats out of 30 in an election, but then proceeded to shut down any real governing for at least the last 5 years.
            We know what they ‘resist’, for sure sure sure. BUT – outside of their own ghetto – what is their ‘Vision For Lebanon’ and it’s varied society of jobless, mis-directed youth, which thinks having a university degree solves all humanities problems … while burning tyres and trashing the place is the norm?
            I think that if we actually heard it, they would only have 1 seat in that over-glorified ‘Cabinet’ which can’t come up with ‘governing rules’ of the bureaucracy it vainly attempts to control, and which would have Lebanon really function even when the ‘talking heads’ can’t get it together.
            I agree – that ‘handing down’ of important positions is a form of insanity in itself. No matter what ‘creationists’ believe, we are not all ‘equal’.
            Is Nastyrallah going to bring the ‘equality under law’ so desperately needed??

  2. Constantin7 Avatar
    Constantin7

    “Vowed to save sinking ship”, and we should believe whatever Geagea says, because he has a history of good deeds to Lebanon, the Lebanese and especially the Christian Lebanese….Neither this man nor his rival Aoun should even dream of the Presidency ! Actually, they should simply think of retiring, that is if they can let go of power and the hunger for more power.

    1. 5thDrawer Avatar
      5thDrawer

      Actually, I think we need ‘salvage masters’. But no-one likes unions.

  3. Patience2 Avatar
    Patience2

    I’m for Mr. ‘G’, warts and all. He’s got my vote.

Leave a Reply