Report: Hariri Informs Franjieh his Nomination Not Part of Political Maneuver

Head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri informed Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh of his commitment to his nomination as president during the telephone call they held over the weekend, reported As Safir newspaper on Monday.

Hariri assured Franjieh that “his initiative to nominate him as president will continue and that it is not part of a political maneuver,” widely informed sources told As Safir.

“The initiative will continue even if it has slowed down,” they explained.

Hariri is determined to go ahead with his initiative and has urged its supporters to remain patient to overcome the obstacles facing it, added the daily.

It explained that he is banking on gaining their support over time seeing as no one has named an alternative nominee to Franjieh.

Hariri had also contacted Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea over the weekend to address the latest developments linked to ending the presidential vacuum.

Recent efforts to end the vacuum saw Franjieh emerge as a presidential candidate as part of a greater settlement that would revitalize the political scene in the country.

The initiative, launched by Hariri, has however been met with the reservations of the Lebanese Forces, Kataeb Party, and the Free Patriotic Movement.

The move also sparked tensions between Hariri and Geagea seeing as the latter is a presidential candidate and an ally of the Mustaqbal Movement in the March 14 coalition.

Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of successor.

Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate have thwarted the polls.

M.T.

D.A.