Report: Geagea Suggests Aoun Runs against Him or Agrees on Consensual Candidate
Lebanese Forces leader and presidential candidate Samir Geagea presented his political rival MP Michel Aoun with two suggestions in an attempt to end the impasse, calling on the Free Patriotic Movement chief to either run against him for office or to meet and agree on a consensual nominee, media reports said on Thursday.
Al-Liwaa newspaper quoted a Maronite leader as saying that Geagea informed a delegation of the sect's institutions that he has two suggestions to Aoun.
"He said he can either meet with Aoun and agree together on a nominee other than the four top Maronite political leaders, or that the FPM chief can run against him for office,” the Maronite leader told the daily.
"And if Aoun wins (the presidential race), I will be the first person to congratulate him,” Geagea said according to the same source.
Radio Voice of Lebanon (93.3) reported on Thursday that the Maronite institutions met with Aoun at his residence in al-Metn's Rabieh neighborhood.
They had met with Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel on Wednesday and are scheduled to hold talks with Marada Movement head MP Suleiman Franjieh over the presidential vote.
Their talks will conclude with a meeting with Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi after he returns from his controversial visit to Jerusalem.
Lawmakers failed for the fifth time last week in electing a new head of state over differences between the rival March 8 and March 14 camps.
The March 14 alliance supports the LF chief for office, who managed to gather 48 votes in the first wound of votes.
Meanwhile, the March 8 forces have not yet announced their candidate and Aoun has repeatedly insisted that he will only take part in the presidential race if he was declared a consensual candidate, mainly by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri's al-Mustaqbal bloc.
S.D.B.
G.K.
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