The rapprochement continues between the two parties following years of separation and hostility
Marada Movement leader Suleiman Franjieh is counting on reaching an understanding with the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Gebran Bassil, to ensure the adoption of Franjieh’s candidacy for the presidency, or at least his withdrawal from the presidential race even if he and his parliamentary bloc decided not to grant him their votes.
Although no official positions have been issued by the main parties concerned with the presidential election so far in terms of deciding their presidential candidates, however, with the approach of the constitutional date for electing a new president, between the beginning of September and the end of October, the various parties find themselves interested in initiating discussions internal to determine how to deal with the next maturity.
The Maronite Patriarch Bechara Al-Rahi was the first to start talking regarding the presidential election by calling in mid-June to hold presidential elections before the end of the current President Michel Aoun’s term within the two-month deadline stipulated by the constitution. It is “above the lineups, axes and parties, and does not pose a challenge to anyone.”
It does not appear that Bassil is regarding to run in the presidential elections, knowing that his chances of winning are very weak, as he is at odds with various political forces, with the exception of Hezbollah, which alone, if it decides to adopt Bassil’s candidacy, is unable to ensure that he obtains the parliamentary votes needed to secure his victory. It is likely that the head of the “Free Patriotic” will adopt a specific candidate who will run for the elections.
Perhaps what reinforces the hypothesis of his withdrawal in favor of Franjieh is the continued rapprochement between the two parties following years of separation and hostility once morest the backdrop of the last presidential elections, which led to the victory of General Michel Aoun for the presidency.
The meeting that brought together last week, MP Farid Haykal Al-Khazen, who is close to Franjieh, Bassil, despite the fact that the relationship between the two men had not been good for years, seemed to complete the path of rapprochement between the head of the Free Patriotic Movement and the leader of the Marada, a path that began with the reconciliation that he accomplished. “Hezbollah” between its two allies last April, through an invitation addressed to them by the Secretary-General of the party, Hassan Nasrallah, to an iftar banquet.
The two parties fought a “silent” parliamentary electoral battle last May, as they were competing mainly in the “third north” district, and each directed his electoral campaign mainly once morest the “Lebanese Forces”.
Since that time, the two parties have exchanged a number of messages and signals that can be described as “positive”, most notably Bassil’s statement during his election campaign: “No matter how we disagree with Franjieh, he remains authentic.” In a meeting with a “operational” to extend the Aounist hand, the representatives of the “Independent National Bloc”, which includes deputies Farid Heikal Al-Khazen, Tony Franjieh and William Tawk, a bloc affiliated with Franjieh, decided to vote for the “Tayyar” candidate for the deputy prime minister, Elias Bou Saab, as well as for Representative Alain Aoun for membership. Council Bureau.
Although Bassil and Franjieh have not yet held a bilateral meeting following the tripartite meeting that brought them together with Nasrallah, the Bou Saab-Franjieh meeting and the Khazen-Basil meeting pave the way for strengthening the relationship between the two parties.
Asaad Dergham, from the “Strong Lebanon” bloc headed by Bassil, considers that “with the approaching date of the presidential elections, it is natural for consultations to begin, especially since Franjieh is a primary candidate for the presidency, and therefore consultation with him is normal following the opening of communication channels between the two parties,” pointing out in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat pointed out that “the Free Patriotic Movement has not yet discussed the presidential election, neither in the political body nor in the bloc, to take the appropriate position,” adding: “The head of the movement, Gibran Bassil, is a natural candidate for the site, and what concerns us in the end is to ensure the delivery of our candidate or someone we support. Therefore, when we enter the constitutional deadline to elect a president, then we will decide our position and our decision.”
During a television appearance, Minister of Information Ziad Makari (close to Franjieh) confirmed that if there is an agreement between Franjieh and Bassil, it will not be like a “merely expressed agreement” of a quota agreement, considering that “if we want the president to be (made in Lebanon) We must strengthen Franjieh’s fortunes to the fullest extent.” Makari added: “There are social occasions that Franjieh and Basil talk to each other, and I see that the meeting between them has become normal, and it might be soon. In the end, Franjieh’s team and the current are allies in politics, and the dispute between them took its right and interest. The country requires that they be together, and there are two entitlements: the government and the presidential entitlement, and the country’s interest is for them to pass quietly.”
Attention is drawn to Hezbollah’s position on the presidential election and the person it will support. He has not yet given any of his allies any promise in this regard. Sources close to him told Asharq Al-Awsat, “We did not start our discussions in this regard, and when Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri sets a date for a session to elect a president, most likely it will be early September. Dealing with it, first by deciding whether or not its participation in the session, and then by deciding the name of its presidential candidate.” She pointed out that “when Hezbollah decides the name of its candidate, it begins work to collect the parliamentary votes necessary for his victory, and it does not do that before making its final decision.” . And whether the presidential election is linked to external developments and the demarcation file, the sources are satisfied with saying: “If there is no war, then most likely the presidential elections will take place on time. In the event of war, nothing is settled at that time.”
