Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah reiterated that his ally Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun remains a presidential candidate and the party will continue to back him.
“We will continue to back his candidacy,” Nasrallah, whose remarks were released by the party’s press office Wednesday, said at the launching of a new university.
“There is no change in our stance” regarding Aoun, he stressed
During a speech last Friday, Nasrallah described Aoun as a “mandatory pathway” for the presidential elections.
His statement prompted his rivals to claim that Hezbollah is no longer keen on Aoun’s candidacy.
But the Nasrallah reiterated in his speech at the launching of the university on Tuesday that the words “mandatory pathway” do not mean Aoun is no longer a candidate.
“They just want to explain things” as they like, he said about his rivals in the March 14 alliance.
The Lebanese parliament failed again last week and for the 27th time in a row to elect a president to replace Michel Suleiman whose term ended on May 25 last year
As in the past sessions the parliament was unable to reach a quorum because the Iranian backed Hezbollah militant group and its ally MP Michel Aoun’s Change and Reform bloc MPs boycotted the sessions.
Speaker Nabih Berri a key ally of Hezbollah postponed the election to September 2 , 2015 .
Many experts believe Iran does not want a president in Lebanon for the time being and is working behind the scenes to abolish the Taif accord which calls for equal power sharing between the Muslims and the Christians
Aoun’s allies seem to be dumping him
A recent decision by Defense Minister Samir Moqbel to extend the terms of three top military officials angered Aoun, who has been for months campaigning for the appointment of new army and security chiefs.
Aoun wants his son-in-law Commando Regiment commander Chamel Roukoz to replace General Jean Kahwaji as the army commander.
Aoun urged his supporters to take to the streets to protest against the extension of the terms
Marada leader MP Suleiman Franjiyeh , Aoun’s top Christian ally said earlier this month that Kahwaji is his friend and he has no intention to join Aoun in his protests against the army.
Speaker Nabih Berri ruled out Aoun as a future head-of-state as well as the appointment of Roukoz as army chief.
Berri is Hezbollah’s closest ally
Government sources revealed to the al Jamhouriah newspaper that “Hezbollah” handed over last week to his allies including General Michel Aoun, a brief message calling for the need for restraint to the maximum limits, and not to get involved in any confrontation with the army.
Berri’s criticism of Aoun was interpreted as a signal that Hezbollah has finally decided that the former general has become a huge liability, according to observers .
According to the same observers Nasrallah is extremely happy with Kahwaji’s performance because he is protecting Hezbollah’s back while it is fighting alongside the Syrian regime.
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