Report: Hariri May Declare Aoun's Nomination Next Week
The Free Patriotic Movement is pleased with the general “positive” atmospheres surrounding the nomination of its founder MP Michel Aoun for the presidential post, as media reports said that ex-PM Saad Hariri will possibly declare Aoun's nomination next week, al-Akhbar daily reported on Saturday.
Prominent sources of the FPM told al-Akhbar daily that “the atmospheres are very positive. The rally of Aoun's supporters tomorrow will be the last one to be held on the road of the people's palace under the orange flags. The next meeting will be held at the Presidential Palace under the Lebanese flags.”
The FPM called for a rally next Sunday near the presidential palace in Baabda to mark the 26th anniversary of its storming by Syrian forces when they forced Aoun, an army commander at the time, to flee and seek refuge at the French Embassy.
The sources affirmed to al-Akhbar, that Mustaqbal Movement leader Hariri has adhered to “what has been agreed” with regard to the nomination of Aoun, and that “things are coming close to an end.”
Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, MP Michel 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's recent return to Lebanon has triggered a flurry of reports about a possible presidential settlement and the ex-PM is exploring the possibility of endorsing Aoun for the presidency in a bid to break the deadlock.
Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate 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.
Source: Naharnet
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