Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea ruled out any agreement with Free patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun over the presidential elections on Monday, adding that Aoun rejected all the proposed candidates and wants to be the only one .
“General Aoun currently rejects any suggestion and is holding onto his nomination. I have told him honestly that I cannot accept him (as president),” Geagea said during an interview with MTV.
Geagea reiterated his call for the March 8 bloc to attend parliamentary sessions and elect a new president.
Geagea also suggested that the rival March 8 and March 14 coalitions to each nominate a new candidate, other than himself and Aoun, and resort to democratic elections in order to choose one of them.
“If Aoun does not agree on this solution, I, speaking on behalf of March 14, call for agreeing on two consensual names and electing one of them at the parliament,” he added.
Geagea revealed that he approves of all names in the Bkirki list of nominees for presidency. The list includes former Interior Minister Ziad Baroud, Demianos Qattar and Roger Deeb.
The LF leader also said he would “certainly” endorse Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi if he decided to take part in the presidential race.
“But I do not advise him to submit his candidacy because he is a religious man and the presidency is a political post,” he said.
“Game of names ”
The Maronite Patriarchate denied on Tuesday reports claiming that Bkirki has a list of candidates for the presidential post.
The Patriarchate stressed that it didn’t interfere and will not intervene in the “game of names.”
Parliament Failed again
Yesterday the Lebanese parliament failed for the sixth time in a row to hold a session to elect the country’s new president to replace Michel Suleiman whose terms ended on May 25.
As in the previous sessions , the vote could not be held as lawmakers allied with the Iranian backed Hezbollah militant group boycotted the voting for lack of agreement on a consensus president.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri adjourned the session to elect a new president to June 18 .
There are serious concerns that a prolonged vacuum at the Baabda presidential place would affect Lebanon’s power-sharing system under which the president should be a Christian Maronite, the speaker a Shiite and the PM a Sunni.
President Suleiman made a last minute plea on May 24 to MPs to elect a president and “avert the dangers” that could result from the failure to do so.
Similar appeals have been made by Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai who urged the parliament to rise to the level of the expectations of the Lebanese people through electing a new president, considering that closing the door of the Baabda presidential palace is a “shame.”
Aoun has not announced his candidacy but he aspires to become a consensual nominee and has reportedly been begging the Future Movement to back him , but so far the movement along with its March 14 allies is sticking with Geagea.
Geagea challenged Aoun to run against him or move on to plan B which calls for agreeing on a consensual candidate , Lebanese media reported last month.
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