Kataeb Slams 'Political Blackmail', Attempts to 'Impose Sole Candidate'
The Kataeb Party on Monday slammed what it called “political blackmail” and attempts to “impose” a sole presidential candidate on the country.
“The political bureau tackled the ongoing consultations and efforts that are aimed at ending the presidential crisis and it believes that rescuing the republic from vacuum cannot happen through political blackmail or through imposing a sole candidate,” Kataeb's politburo said in a statement issued after its weekly meeting.
And accusing some political forces of seeking to “prolong vacuum and undermine the democratic system,” the party said the election of a president cannot happen through “offering incentives or intimidation but rather through resorting to constitutional norms and attending the electoral sessions.”
“Accordingly, the Kataeb Party reiterates its clear refusal to vote for any candidate endorsing the vision of the March 8 camp,” it added.
Ex-PM Saad Hariri's return to Lebanon last week has triggered a flurry of rumors and media reports about a possible presidential settlement and the possibility that the former premier has finally decided to endorse Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun for the presidency in a bid to break the deadlock.
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 parliament's electoral sessions, 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.
Hariri's move prompted Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival, after months of political rapprochement talks between their two parties.
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.
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