Parliament failed for the ninth time on Wednesday in electing a president due a lack of quorum.
Speaker Nabih Berri, who did not attend the session, set August 12 as the date for the tenth session.
Full StoryHead of al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc MP Fouad Saniora kicked off a tour on March 14 leaders to tackle the roadmap proposed by al-Mustaqbal chief ex-Premier Saad Hariri.
Local newspapers published on Tuesday reported that Saniora and head of the ex-PM's office Nader Hariri began their tour with Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel during a meeting held in Bikfaya on Sunday evening.
Full StoryLebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said Monday that “news of attacks on Christians and their churches and monasteries in Syria and Iraq, the last of which at Mosul's Saint Behnam, are heartbreaking” because they seek to “uproot civilizations from their land.”
“The LF, whose name has been associated with confronting tyranny, condemns in the strongest terms the attacks on Christians, wherever they may happen and whichever side they may come from,” Geagea said in a statement.
Full StoryProgressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat stressed the need for the election of a president who is “not provocative” to another political camp, reported al-Mustaqbal newspaper on Monday.
He told the daily: “Christians must realize the difficulty of Free Patriotic Movement MP Michel Aoun or Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea's election as president.”
Full StoryLebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea stressed that Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun is adamant on refusing to withdraw from the presidential elections race in favor of other candidates, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Sunday.
He told the daily: “I had proposed in the past that I withdraw my candidacy in favor of others who have the minimum requirements to carry out political tasks.”
Full StoryLebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea condemned on Saturday the Islamic State's attacks against Christians and minorities in the Iraqi city of Mosul, calling for peace and for eradicating IS and other “oppressive” regimes.
"I strongly deplore and condemn attacks against Christians and all minorities like Shiites, Turkmen, Mandaeists, Yazidis and others in Mosul and in regions under IS control,” Geagea said in a statement published on his official Facebook page.
Full StoryElecting Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun as president for a two-year term is being proposed as a means to end the presidential deadlock, reported al-Akhbar newspaper on Wednesday.
It said that Lebanese circles in the French capital Paris that are close to head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri made the proposal in exchange for forming a cabinet that ensures the interests of his movement.
Full StoryProgressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat has said he was ready to pull the candidacy of Aley lawmaker Henri Helou if the other candidates decided to do so in an attempt to resolve the country's presidential deadlock.
In remarks to As Safir newspaper published on Tuesday, Jumblat said: “We should seek to safeguard the country by placing the nation's interest before any other interest.”
Full StoryLebanese Forces leader MP Samir Geagea voiced concern on Monday that the presidential vacuum is effecting the work of the cabinet and the parliament, describing it as a “crime” against the Lebanese.
“Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi's stance is righteous to press for a solution but things should be named as they are,” Geagea said, noting that parties should be held responsible for the delay in electing a new head of state.
Full StoryLebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea condemned on Friday the ongoing vacuum in the presidency, saying that the situation should not continue as it is, said the LF media office in a statement on Saturday.
Geagea said: “We must begin holding those behind the deadlock responsible for their actions.”
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