Report: Franjieh's Presidential Nomination Product of International Deal

The expected presidential nomination of Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh is a result of a “regional-international” deal aimed at preventing chaos from taking over Lebanon, reported al-Akhbar newspaper on Tuesday.

A ministerial source told the daily that “there is a 75 percent chance that this deal will go ahead.”

On Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Aoun's stance on the nomination, it said: “We are faced with a fateful issue and there is a need to cater to Aoun's concerns, which Hizbullah should attend to.”

“This is not the first complication to arise between the two sides and it is not impossible to resolve,” it remarked.

There has been a flurry of political talks in the country that followed a Paris meeting between Franjieh and al-Mustaqbal Movement chief MP Saad Hariri. The meeting sparked intense speculation that the two leaders agreed to the nomination of the Marada chief for the presidency.

Aoun, a presidential candidate himself, announced on Monday that it is up to the March 8 coalition to decide whether or not to nominate Franjieh for the presidency.

“My stance on Franjieh's nomination will either complicate or facilitate the situation and I will declare it before the (presidential) elections take place,” he added.

“Why should Suleiman Franjieh's nomination come from Saad Hariri?” he asked.