March 14: Only Solution before Aoun is Heading to Parliament to Elect President

The March 14 General Secretariat criticized on Wednesday the initiative proposed by Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun aimed at ending the presidential deadlock, saying that it is a “coup against Lebanon's parliamentary democratic system.”

It said during its weekly meeting: “The only solution before Aoun is heading to parliament and electing a new president.”

On Friday, Aoun launched an initiative aimed at ending the deadlock.

It calls for the election of a president directly from the people in two phases, first by the Christians, who would eliminate candidates and on a second phase by the Lebanese people.

Another solution would be a popular referendum and the candidate who garners most votes would be elected by the parliament as a new president.

The initiative also includes the possibility of electing the Maronite candidate who has the majority of representation at the parliament, while the fourth is staging the parliamentary elections ahead of the presidential polls based on a new electoral law that provides equality between Christians and Muslims.

Addressing Hizbullah's fighting in Syria's al-Qalamoun region, the General Secretariat said: “Hizbullah is trying to persuade the people that it is trying to protect them without taking into account their views.”

“It believes that such an assumption makes it a national authority in substitute of the state,” it noted.

“The army is the sole power entitled to protecting Lebanon from any danger through deploying its forces along the border in support of the international peacekeeping force as stipulated in United Nations Security Council resolution 1701,” it explained.

“Those claiming to defend Lebanon outside of the authority of the state are merely protecting themselves, especially after they involved themselves in the fighting in Syria, which has become pointless after the Assad regime has reached its deathbed,” it declared.

“Protecting Lebanon is the responsibility of the state and Arab world, as well as the international community through the implementation of resolutions 1559 and 1701,” said the March 14 forces.

M.T.

H.K.