March 14 Alliance Mulling Another Candidate for Presidency
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The March 14 alliance is mulling to adopt the candidacy of another official in the run for presidency after Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea failed to garner the required parliamentary votes.
Sources close to the coalition said in remarks published in the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat that the March 14 leadership is reconsidering its options after the first round of voting.
The sources said that the March 14 camp is seeking to push forward the candidacy of Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel in the second round after Geagea failed to earn 86 votes, which the winning candidate will need to guarantee victory.
The parliament failed to elect a new president on Wednesday, with no candidate securing the two-thirds of the votes needed to win and many lawmakers leaving their ballots blank.
Labor Minister Sejaan Qazzi, who is loyal to Gemayel, told As Safir newspaper that the party will propose to the alliance the candidacy of the Kataeb chief.
“The March 14 coalition will hold consultations in the upcoming few days ahead of the second parliamentary session on Wednesday to unify its stance,” Qazzi added.
For his part, al-Mustaqbal lawmaker Ahmed Fatfat revealed in comments published in An Nahar that the March 14 coalition kicked off discussions after the first round to evaluate the situation.
“The alliance's candidate for the second round is being discussed,” Fatfat added.
The parliament will hold a second vote on April 30, in which the winning candidate will need only a simple majority of 65 votes.
On Wednesday, 124 of the parliament's 128 members were present, with 48 casting their ballots for Geagea and one vote was submitted for Gemayel.
But speaking after the vote, Geagea said he would not drop out of the race.
Gemayel said later that “the party will take the decisions that can achieve our goals and this is why I'm not in the race at the moment, although my nomination has been on the table since the very beginning.”
H.K.
G.K.
24 April 2014, 08:18
416
Aoun and HA will never guarantee the necessary quorum for the presidential elections. They want a president like Lahoud made in Syria and Iran.
24 April 2014, 08:35
315
If the Iranian milita could they would make Assad President and cut the midle man.
27 April 2014, 03:32
00
So I trust that you will guarantee that, in the case that a pro-Lebanon president gets elected, you and your black-and-green-shirted friends will not go down on the streets and chantage us? Deal from my side, buddy. Let's see you live up to yours.
24 April 2014, 08:43
315
When is the Pajama x-general going to snap those magic fingers of his and make himself President?
24 April 2014, 22:22
11
Any hope of you being creative or you're just happy being lame?
24 April 2014, 08:51
113
Well, it didn't take them long to get rid of Mr. Fal Ya7kom Al Ikhwan.
24 April 2014, 09:34
91
How am I attacking him? I said they're already looking for another option after barking all this time about having one choice for President.
And did Geagea not hope for the "Muslim" Brotherhood to be elected in Syria by saying "Fal ya7kom al ikhwan"?
24 April 2014, 09:33
91
Thanks Phil, I meant Dany. What Dory calls them is irrelevant. Dani's daughter Traci herself acknowledged that Geagea was behind the murder of her father and family.
24 April 2014, 10:51
27
karim... the assasination of Chamoun was orchestrated by Hobeika and Maktab El Ightiyalat... Geagea has nothing to do with this one...
24 April 2014, 12:33
24
No Joseph, this is a time when I must defend Geagea, he has nothing whatsoever to do with the killing of Dani. Even Dori made it clear time after time and years ago. Those who killed Dani are the Syrians whose checkpoint were there to block all access to his residence. I am sure that the time has not come to straighten some course of our history. You know that the Syrians were literally omnipotent during their occupation of Lebanon, and that they had ample support from their Lebanese allies. They were fully capable of framing whoever they wanted and make it stick for as long as stooges were available.
24 April 2014, 13:00
14
It is not my imagination. You should read "From Israel to Damascus"...
24 April 2014, 15:10
10
Everything that does not suit you is either science fiction, a lie, delusional, an Israeli plot FT...
24 April 2014, 19:59
00
Joe, thanks for your kind words, as I always say, we are here to learn from each other, and my learning process gets enriched by such good debates. Peace to you too Sir.
24 April 2014, 12:38
34
Karim, Tracy was found in a compromising position at that time. I do not wish to dwell on the aspects of it, but why take Tracy's words and ignore Dory's? The Patriot told his view and I support it, HK with his Syrian bosses committed that murder and pinned it on Geagea. How ardent are you these days in defending Hezbollah of Rafic Hariri's murder? Must you adopt one position for a case yet contradict yourself on another? Who killed Rashid Karame? You wish to know?
24 April 2014, 13:10
23
Roar brother, I thank you for an interesting point of view, but this time again we cannot meet halfway. How can anyone ascertain that Dory sold his soul? How about if I used the same words but on Aoun this time? Dory we all know came close to becoming financially broke, so what else but sell property? Then for example, it took Walid Jumblat 30 years to finally admit to the killing of his late father Kamal, divulging finally the real killers, the Syrians. Who perpetrated the Camps massacres? Was it not HK taking orders from the Syrians and passing them on to his younger brother Charles? The Syrians occupied us for 3 decades and part of this process was the fabrication of things to keep them in power. Geagea was their opponent, thus a favorite black-sheep by all means. Have we forgotten how many times Aoun was scolded for opposing the Syrians? Walaw?
24 April 2014, 13:56
43
Tracy is born in 1960, so she was 29 when her father was murdered by Geagea and not a baby
I guess you re mistaken with her half sister. But anyway all your argument is just showing how low you can be by defending the criminals
24 April 2014, 11:48
17
too much hatred here and the fact that March 8 voted with blanks proves they never had any sincere regard for democracy or for a made in Lebanon president. I never expected Geagea to get the 86 votes and I don't think he did either. He is a smart politician and a 100% Lebanese that knows what he is doing. March 8 and the Aounists will remembered as hateful retarded anti Lebanese by history...
24 April 2014, 15:59
11
"How can you come here and splurge such utter ignorance or lies"... this sounds like hatred joe...
24 April 2014, 12:35
35
Lebanon missed its only change to elect a true protector of christians!!!
24 April 2014, 13:57
42
there were not only a shoe but also Motorolas captured by the LF from the army
the serial numbers of these moto are a prove that crime was committed by Geagea
24 April 2014, 15:29
00
Why is it that the usual suspects are always dragged out. These characters from the past, all of them, are the source of the great failure of the Christian political movement in Lebanon and therefore of the failure of Lebanon in the past, as a state and as a government. Lebanon as a nation is quite strong, her people resilient. It is time for new blood, pardon the pun, to be injected into this closed system of failed political leadership.
Enough of the right of primogeniture, the right of inheritance to national leadership. It didn't work. Better to go with a meritocracy. Ability before pedigree.
24 April 2014, 16:01
33
better than to have no choice except senile Aoun or Syrian Frangieh ;)
