Suleiman lauds Geagea’s vision for a strong state

President Michel Suleiman phoned Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to congratulate him on the launching of his campaign for the presidential elections and lauded his clear vision for a strong Republic , according to a statement by the Lebanese Forces press office on Thursday.

The LF statement said the phone conversation between Suleiman and Geagea took place on Wednesday night.

“Suleiman congratulated him on the launching of his campaign for the presidential elections for the presidency and his presidential platform, and lauded … its clear vision for a strong Republic,” the statement said said.

Geagea announced on Wednesday his presidential program that focused on restoring the authority of the state against the proliferation of weapons during a time of regional unrest.

The LF chief also called for a state monopoly on the use of force, including confronting Israel.

Yesterday Suleiman called on MPs to attend the April 23rd Parliament session to ensure quorum is achieved in order to elect a new Lebanese president.

“They have no right to disrupt the quorum unless there are extremely compelling circumstances, which do not exist today at all,” Suleiman told Abjad News website in an interview published Wednesday.

Suleiman also stressed that “political vacuum is not allowed at all and it is unacceptable that we reach it.”

“I do not want to stay three more years. As I have always been saying, I am an advocate of the rotation of power.” He said.

Speaker Nabih Berri called on the parliament to meet on April 23 to vote for a successor to Suleiman, whose term ends on May 25.

The meeting next Wednesday is expected to be the first in several attempts to elect a president before President Michel Suleiman’s six-year term expires.

A new Lebanese president faces massive security and economic challenges, most of them related to the spillover from the civil war raging in neighboring Syria.

The country’s leaders are deeply split along sectarian and ideological lines. Failure to agree on a consensus president could make things harder for the government at a crucial time while it struggles with sectarian violence and an influx of over a million Syrian refugees.