Geagea: Koura By-Election Will Mark Beginning of the End of Other Camp’s Rule
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea highlighted on Friday the importance of the Koura by-election set for Sunday, saying that “it is not a by-election, but a crucial battle due to the importance of its results and their repercussions” on Lebanon.
He said: “The by-election will mark the beginning of the other camp’s rule.”
He made his remarks during a speech before the LF electoral campaign.
Geagea added: “It a is a battle aimed at rejecting what is left of the Syrian regime and its internal pawns that have long terrorized and corrupted Koura.”
“It is a battle aimed at rejecting the deteriorating security situation that the other camp has brought upon the people during the past few months,” he continued.
“It a battle against oppression, terrorism, and assassination, which is their favorite method to forge the will of the people,” noted the LF leader.
“It is a battle against those who assert on a daily basis that the Syrian regime will not collapse,” he remarked.
“We want it to be a peaceful and noble battle that will help rectify political life in Lebanon, which has become plagued by oppression, terrorism, and assassinations that are tampering with the people’s security and future of their children,” he declared.
It will be a democratic battle that will reflect the democratic elections that have swept the Arab Spring, Geagea added.
Responding to MP Suleiman Franjieh’s claims that “the LF imposed the electoral battle,” he said: “Wasn’t the vacant parliamentary seat originally occupied by an LF candidate?”
“Wasn’t he elected during the 2005 and 2009 elections by a margin of thousands of votes against his nearest rivals?” he asked.
The Koura by-election is being held to fill the Greek Orthodox seat vacated by the death of LF MP Farid Habib.
The March 8 majority is backing Syrian Social National Party candidate Walid al-Azar in the polls that are pitting him against LF candidate Fadi Karam, who has received the strong support of the March 14 opposition alliance.
Several other people have announced their candidacies but the major rivalry is between al-Azar and Karam.
Geagea continued: “Isn’t the other camp seeking to impose a battle on us by trying to take this seat away from us?”
“We are not provoking anyone, but we are pursuing peaceful methods to achieve our political goals,” he added in response to Franjieh’s statements on Thursday.
He continued: “The other side that is waging the electoral battle acts as the backbone of the government of corruption in Lebanon.”
“We want this election to mark the beginning of the end of their miserable rule,” he stressed.
“Koura will not fall victim to backwardness at a time when peoples are freeing themselves from oppression,” declared the LF leader.
This election will pave the way for the 2013 parliamentary elections, he noted.
“The Koura election is the Lebanese people’s ticket to a safer, more stable, and prosperous future,” Geagea stated.
He thanked the Future Movement, Phalange Party, National Liberal Party, and other opposition and independent parties and figures who voiced their support for the LF candidate.
Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh had accused on Thursday the other camp of employing funds from Arab Gulf countries to ensure the success of their candidate, Fadi Karam.
“The other camp imposed this electoral battle on us,” he continued.
He also accused Geagea of “provoking the people in their regions and homes under the excuse of democracy.”
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