Nasrallah and Aoun Want 'Strong' President as Paris Seeks Approval of Consensus Candidate
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun have agreed on the necessity to elect a president who best represents Christians as a report emerged that France is seeking to convince Iran and the Vatican to support a consensus candidate.
Al-Liwaa daily on Thursday quoted a Hizbullah official as saying that Nasrallah and Aoun also agreed during their latest meeting that the new president should be “strong.”
The Hizbullah official, who was not identified, hinted that both officials held onto the candidacy of Aoun, although the FPM chief has not announced it officially.
The failure to elect a president has drawn the ire of Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi and gave rise to appeals by the international community to swiftly choose a head of state.
According to An Nahar newspaper, Paris has contacted Iranian and Vatican officials to support a consensus candidate who receives the backing of the parliament.
Lebanon has been without a head of state since May when President Michel Suleiman's six-year term ended with the rival MPs unable to find a successor over their differences on a compromise candidate.
Hizbullah and Aoun's Change and Reform bloc MPs have boycotted parliamentary sessions aimed at electing a president, claiming there should be consensus on a candidate first.
But their boycott is a clear message of rejection to the candidacy of Aoun's rival Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea.
An Nahar said it was up to the Vatican to inform certain Lebanese candidates that they had lost their chances to reach Baabda Palace and that they should give up their personal interests.
It also said that it was not clear if Iran was willing to pressure its ally Hizbullah into facilitate the holding of the elections.
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