It is no secret that the Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun, has been mentioned as one of the “serious” candidates to succeed former President Michel Aoun , way before his term ended.
His candidacy is gaining more momentum with every additional day of vacancy in the Baabda Palace, despite the fact that no party has so far officially nominated him
They are perhaps awaiting the maturity of some data and the crystallization of some positions that prevent him from becoming another “scapegoat,” like other names that were declared.
However, it is no secret to anyone his path to Baabda Palace collides with many bumps, and perhaps “mines,” including the constitutional amendment it requires, given that the man was supposed to resign before the date of the presidential elections, even though some rely on Michel Suleiman’s precedent to suggest the possibility of skipping this detail .
Free Patriotic Movement’s veto remains one of the key obstacles .
However, what may not be a secret to anyone either is that the army commander’s chances have risen significantly in recent days.
His recent meeting with MP Mohamad Raad , the head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc that came days after a a very friendly dinner with US envoy Amos Hockstein, led many to believe that both events could lead to a point of “intersection” between the two camps.
Furthermore the army commander has always been the “password” of the secret meetings of the Qatari delegation that were taking place behind the scenes.
Observers are asking : “If the French initiative fails during the upcoming visit of President Emmanuel Macron’s envoy, Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, will the position of Qatar which favors the Army Commander lead to the official nomination of Aoun despite FPM’s veto ?
For those who are well versed in Lebanese politics , the nomination of the Army Commander is not the result of the moment, nor the product of developments of recent days, as anyone who follows the political scenes is well aware that has always been considered within the “narrow” circle of “serious” candidates. Rather, there are those who believe that the real battle will only be between him and the “Marada” movement chief , Suleiman Franjieh.
Aoun’s “strength”, according to observers lies in his external “relevance”, as he has a strong regional and international cover, in addition to his “excellent” relationship with the United States, noting that some sources confirm that the five-member group on Lebanon almost came close at its last meeting in Doha to announce the adoption of his candidacy but decided that it is better to make the announcement in Lebanon .
It is no secret to anyone that the name of the army commander has always been at the forefront of what was called the “Qatari initiative.
It is no secret also for those who are well versed in Lebanese politics that the army commander is the “real” candidate for the opposition forces, who consider him the consensus presidential candidate
Translated from an article in El Nashra in Arabic
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