Report: Hizbullah Will not Back Down on Aoun's Nomination
Hizbullah will continue to support the candidacy of MP Michel Aoun for the post of presidency, despite reports claiming that the party implicitly prefers Marada chief MP Suleiman Franjieh, the Kuwaiti al-Anba daily reported on Thursday.
“Anyone who believes that Hizbullah's backing of Aoun is only a tactic or an act of courtesy is mistaken,” a March 14 official told the daily on condition of anonymity.
“Contrary to the perception that prevailed lately that Hizbullah implicitly prefers Franjieh over Aoun, the real and radical option of the party at the level of the presidency is Aoun,” added the source.
“Aoun has been able to provide a wide Christian support for the party since 2005 which was classified as impossible before that,” he concluded.
Former Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Michel Aoun is a presidential candidate and member of the March 8 camp along with Franjieh who emerged as a presidential candidate as part of an initiative launched by Mustaqbal Movement leader MP Saad Hariri aimed at ending the political deadlock in Lebanon.
Franjieh's nomination alongside Aoun has drawn speculation of differences between the two officials.
Franjieh's potential nomination has also been met with reservations from the Kataeb Party and Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces.
Lebanon has been witnessing a presidential vacuum since the term of President Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014.
D.A.
M.T.
Source: Naharnet
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