Samir Geagea
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Gemayel Says he Aspires to Become Consensual Candidate

Kataeb party leader Amin Gemayel said his candidacy for the presidency would only become real if lawmakers failed to elect Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea, revealing his ambition to become a consensual candidate.

“If the March 14 alliance … was able to break the barricade that surrounds Geagea, then it would reach its objective,” Gemayel told the Saudi Okaz daily published on Sunday.

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Suleiman to Warn Lawmakers over Presidential Vacuum Fears

President Michel Suleiman is expected on Sunday to reiterate his warning from the dangers of a vacuum in the country's top Christian post and call on lawmakers to elect a new head of state before the end of his term this month.

An Nahar newspaper said that Suleiman's warning will come in a speech he will make on Sunday afternoon during the inauguration of the cite sportive in his hometown in Amsheet.

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March 14 Denies Withdrawing Support for Geagea in Presidential Race, Hale Leaves for Riyadh

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale left Beirut on Saturday evening and headed to Riyadh where he is expected to hold talks on the upcoming presidential elections.

"Ambassador Hale is leaving to Riyadh to meet with former Premier Saad Hariri and Saudi officials to discuss international support for Lebanon,” the Unites States' embassy said in a released statement.

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Report: March 14 Leaning towards Harb's Nomination for President instead of Geagea

The March 14 alliance is studying the possibility of the nomination of Telecommunications Minister Butros Harb as president instead of its current nominee Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, reported al-Akhbar newspaper on Saturday.

March 14 sources cited the various closed-door meetings among members of the camp and Harb's recent meeting with Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat as signs that the minister may be named as a candidate.

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Report: MP Geagea Meets Hariri to Discuss Presidential Elections

Head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri continued his talks with various officials on the presidential elections by meeting with Lebanese Forces MP Sethrida Geagea at his Paris residence, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Friday.

It said that the former PM and Geagea tackled the latest developments related to the polls.

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Franjieh to Patriarch Rahi: I Told You I Will Not Provide Quorum and You Accepted My Stance

Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh stated on Friday that he had promised Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi that he will not provide the necessary quorum at the parliament to prevent his political foe's election, adding also that he disagrees with the head of the Maronite Church over the fear of vacuum in the presidency.

"The constitution discussed the needed quorum in parliamentary sessions (dedicated to elect a new president) but it did not say anything about requiring MPs to be present,” Franjieh said in an interview on al-Manar television.

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Report: March 8 Divided on Aoun's Presidential Choices

The March 8 alliance is divided on the candidacy of Free Patriotic Movement chief Michel Aoun for the presidency, the Kuwaiti al-Anba daily reported on Friday.

The newspaper quoted sources as saying that some March 8 members, including Hizbullah, are hoping Aoun would decide to give up his bid for the presidency.

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Harb Agrees with Jumblat to Seek 'New Ideas' on Presidential Vote

Telecommunications Minister Butros Harb announced Thursday that he has agreed with Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat to seek “new ideas” in approaching the presidential vote.

“The meeting was an occasion to exchange ideas on the means to confront the coming period, after the (parliament's) failure to hold the presidential vote” on Wednesday, Harb told reporters after meeting Jumblat in Clemenceau.

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Geagea Urges Election of President in Lebanon, 'Not in Doha or Paris'

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said Thursday that the rival March 8 camp does not want a “real state” in Lebanon, accusing it of “obstructing” parliamentary sessions aimed at electing a new president in order to “maintain the state of chaos” in the country.

“We will not accept the persistence of the artificial, paralyzed and usurped state in Lebanon. We will struggle to restore the real and strong state,” Geagea said at a ceremony titled Day of the Republic that was organized by the LF's Student Department in Maarab.

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Qassem: No Point in Holding Presidential Election Sessions if Current Conditions Persist

Hizbullah deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem noted on Wednesday that the current conditions in Lebanon are not appropriate to stage the presidential elections.

He said: “There is therefore no point to hold presidential election sessions if these conditions persist.”

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