Gemayel Calls for 'Settlement' in Presidential Vote, Rejects Constitutional Amendment

Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel on Tuesday called for a “settlement” in the presidential vote, stating also his rejection of amending the constitution for the sake of any presidential nominee.

“I call for a settlement in the presidential vote and we only care about holding the presidential elections in the remaining time, considering the repercussions of not holding it on the situation in Lebanon,” Gemayel said in an interview on LBCI television.

"The MPs are people's representatives and they don't have the right to miss session,” he added.

He considered that vacuum in the presidency will result in a “huge defect in the constitutional practice in Lebanon.”

“We insist that MPs should go to parliament and vote,” he stressed.

Gemayel said he is not a nominee for office, denying also that he withdrew from the race for any candidate's sake.

"But we don't escape responsibility and we are ready for bearing it.”

As for which nominee has a chance to emerge victorious in the race and take office, Gemayel explained that no candidate currently guarantees the necessary number of votes to win.

"Even if (Lebanese Forces leader Samir) Geagea withdrew from the race, we still don't have the majority of the MPs' votes, and (Progressive Socialist Party chief) MP (Walid) Jumblat alone can't give us this majority,” he said.

Gemayel assured that Geagea will not obstruct the vote.

“He said he is ready to withdraw for the sake of any candidate with luck (to take office),” he reiterated.

He assured that March 14's nominee is Geagea, confirming also that the Kataeb MPs have voted taking the party's instructions into consideration.

“We gave our word and we are going forward with it,” he affirmed.

Regarding Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun presenting himself as a consensual nominee, Gemayel said: “It is not important how we present ourselves but our practice is what matters. Aoun has not yet acted as a consensual nominee.”

He added: "There is no veto against any nominee and we are continuously communicating with Aoun. If he succeeds in the elections, we will congratulate him.”

The Kataeb leader also revealed that party MP Sami Gemayel met with former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, and that he sensed progress in the negotiations between the latter and Aoun.

"But we would have wished to be in the picture of these talks,” he expressed.

In a related matter, the former president rejected amending the Constitution to allow certain personalities to take office.

“We are against amending the constitution and I rejected going to parliament to elect (President Michel) Suleiman to avoid being a false witness,” he clarified.

Speaker Nabih Berri has scheduled Thursday, May 22, 2014 as a date for a fifth round of votes at the parliament, after MPs failed for four consecutive sessions to elect a new head of state.

In the first electoral round, no nominee was able to gather the required number of votes to win the race. And quorum was not secured in the second, third and fourth rounds, which blocked the possibility of holding a voting session.

S.D.B.

Y.R.