Change MPs launch presidential initiative, threaten protests

The 13 MPs of the so-called change bloc on Saturday launched their long-awaited presidential initiative, which calls for the election of a reformist president who is not part of the polarization between the traditional political forces in the country.

At a press conference, the bloc said it will hold a series of popular and political consultations with the October 17 forces and with all political parties to secure the election of a president who meets the bloc's "standards for the presidency."

The bloc also warned that it will resort to popular protests if no president is elected before October 20 -- or 10 days prior to the expiry of President Michel Aoun's term.

The bloc stressed that the new president must not be part of the political "divisions" in the country and must "preserve Lebanon's sovereignty domestically and externally."

The new president must also "establish the state of citizenship and justice" and must "preserve the state's assets," the bloc added.

"No side should impose hegemony on Lebanon... and to prevent any vacuum, the (presidential) juncture must be a Lebanese one," the bloc urged.

It also said that the new president must take into consideration "the transformations that happened after October 17 (2019)."

"This matter needs the unification of efforts and returning to the constitution and implementing it, which is the only solution for Lebanon," the bloc added.