Lebanon’s Marada movement chief Suleiman Franjieh declared on Thursday
“I’m not Hezbollah’s candidate, I’m seeking to be a consensual candidate,” Franjieh said.
He made the announcement following his meeting with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi in Bkerki.
He added that he would accept to be elected with 65 votes, and that he would announce his candidacy once he senses that he can secure enough votes.
His statement comes after MP Ali Hassan Khalil , an aide of Speaker Nabih Berri and a close ally of Hezbollah said that Hezbollah and the Amal Movement are willing to push for Suleiman Franjieh’s election as president with 65 votes even if he does not win the support of any of the two main Christian blocs – the FPM and the Lebanese Forces.
“I don’t want to be a confrontational president,” Franjieh said,
Franjieh said he is not against Army chief Gen. Joseph Aoun but is wondering what is his political agenda .
The Iranian backed Hezbollah militant group lost its majority in the last election and is experiencing problems in coming up with the votes needed to elect Franjieh, who is closely associated with Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad
According to observers Hezbollah is repeating the same Scenario as in 2016 when it insisted on the election of its ally FPM founder Michel Aoun as the president .
Many see Franjieh as Aoun #2
Lebanon is witnessing an unprecedented economic collapse that the World Bank has ranked among the worst in the world since the mid-19th century, accompanied by the disintegration of the main pillars of the prevailing political-economic model in the country since the end of the civil war (1975-90). It’s mainly reflected in the collapse of basic public services.
The unemployment rate has risen over three times as a result of the economic collapse, according to a recent survey by the Lebanese government and United Nations.
All of the above has led to a rise in the number of emigrants. According to Beirut-based Information International, the number of those who left the country in 2021 reached 79,134 people, compared to 17,721 in 2020, which is an increase of 346 percent.
Without any radical reform measures, the situation will worsen as the poverty level escalates . This may lead to a social explosion,” Financial and Economic Expert Walid Abu Suleiman warned recently .
Aoun and his political team have failed to accomplish any significant reforms, “despite having the largest parliamentary and ministerial blocs,” another analyst told me.
Aoun was declared by many Lebanese leaders as ” the worst president Lebanon ever had “
For these reasons Lebanon needs a capable , independent and sovereign president that will be able reclaim the country that used to be called the Switzerland of the East and not a president like Franjieh , who will be a rubber stamp like Aoun before him to Hezbollah’s Nasrallaah who openly and without any reservations declared his allegiance to the rulers of Iran and proclaimed that he is a soldier in Iran’s Wilayat al Faqih.
Franjieh was named after his Grandfather former president Suleiman Franjieh who invited the Syrian army to come to Lebanon during the civil war in 1976 . The Syrian army remained in Lebanon for nearly 3 decades . It withdrew under International and local pressure following the assassination of former PM Rafic Hariri who opposed Syrian occupation of Lebanon
After Hariri was murdered Hezbollah took over Syria’s former role in Lebanon
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