Jumblat to Geagea on Aoun's Nomination: 'Talk to Berri First'

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat told Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea during their latest meeting that he has to “talk” to Speaker Nabih Berri before anyone else if he is seeking to secure the election of his new ally MP Michel Aoun as president, a media report said on Friday.

“The solution is not in my hand and you have to talk to Hizbullah, (ex-PM Saad) Hariri and Speaker (Nabih) Berri,” al-Hayat newspaper quoted Berri as saying.

“Jumblat then stressed to Geagea that he has to talk to Speaker Berri first,” the speaker added, according to al-Hayat.

There has been speculation in the country that the latest rapprochement between Aoun and Berri could lead to an agreement over the stalled presidential election or the parliamentary polls.

Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the electoral sessions at parliament, stripping them of the needed quorum.

Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah.

The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.