Beirut – “Al-Quds Al-Arabi”: In a remarkable step that came in response to Fouad Siniora’s press conference, in which he called on the Sunnis who believe in Lebanon’s sovereignty to participate in the elections as candidacy and voting, the Vice President of the “Future Movement” former MP Mustafa Alloush submitted his resignation, in a call he made with Saad Hariri, who had suspended his political work and refrained from running in the parliamentary elections. Hariri decided, as stated in a statement to “Al-Mustaqbal”, to consider “the resignation effective, and the decision was deposited with the General Secretariat to act accordingly.” The statement added, “With this, Dr. Alloush is freed from any regulatory obligations and has the full right, in accordance with the rules, to take the path he deems appropriate, whether in the elections or otherwise.”
Alloush, in coordination with Siniora, was criticized by some cadres of the movement, without deciding whether his resignation was a prelude to running once more from Tripoli.
In the north, too, a meeting took place between the leader of the Independence Movement, resigned MP Michel Moawad, and candidate Majd Boutros Harb, who is backed by the Kataeb Party, in the presence of former MP Jawad Boulos and a number of supporters. Moawad said in a statement that “the third battle of the north is the battle of all of Lebanon to bring down the militia and mafia system.” He said, “Our meeting today is a founding meeting, not only for an electoral alliance, but for a strategic partnership at the level of the national struggle, in order to recover our kidnapped homeland from the militia and mafia system, from the system of weapons and corruption, a strategic partnership at the parliamentary level, at the northern level, and at the political and development level, so that we can withdraw legitimacy. The People’s Party is regarding who covers Hezbollah’s weapons and project,” recalling that “there are two Christian heads in this circle who cover Hezbollah’s project, and the northern project is to break the monopoly of the power parties who, for years, adhered not only to the people’s decision in this circle, they stuck to their lives, their future and their development.”
Moawad stressed that “there is no inheritance where there is a ballot box, and whoever says that there is inheritance regarding me and regarding the glory of war, he insults those who elect us, and any citizen has the right to work in public affairs, provided that he is held accountable and turning the battle into a battle in the face of families is a grave mistake and the biggest service to the system.” . He added, “If we do not drop weapons and corruption, we will remain just an opposition force, and this requires unity and a broad alliance, and overcoming selfishness and differences.”
In return for declaring confrontation in the face of Hezbollah by many forces in the opposition, the party seeks to restore the relationship between its rival allies, but it collides with the refusal of some to ally with the Free Patriotic Movement and secure the victory of the head of the movement, Representative Gibran Bassil, and this is what Marada Movement leader Suleiman Franjieh explicitly told him. For the party, at a time when Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri agreed to agree and be on one list with the Aounbi movement in some circles, in an attempt by the party to keep the movement in the largest Christian bloc and prevent the largest Christian bloc from becoming the share of the leader of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea.
After efforts on the line of the current – Marada and the movement – the Amal movement, Hezbollah sought to gather MP Faisal Karami and MP Jihad Al-Samad to unite under one list in the Tripoli district and remove the remnants of the dispute between the two parties. Al-Samad responded to the party’s desire, but he did not agree with Karami on points that remained controversial and focused on personal rather than strategic issues, especially following Samad left the “consultative meeting” that included Sunni representatives close to the party.
In addition, the Council of Ministers discussed the issue of “Megacenter” to facilitate the election process and raise the voter turnout in light of the high fuel prices and the high cost that citizens will incur in their transportation to their villages and towns. The Minister of Interior, Bassam al-Mawlawi, presented the study he had prepared on the subject, which contained logistical and procedural complications. He said that he contacted the “Ogero” authority, and it was found that the “Megacenter” needs equipment from abroad and a “Viber Optic”. He added, “I am once morest postponing the elections, and with holding them on time, and the MegaCenter application needs time and money, and this is not available, and “I am not engaged in politics, but I say what can be done.”
The Secretary of the Democratic Gathering, Representative Hadi Abul-Hassan, commented via Twitter on the request to discuss the MegaCenter, and wrote, in reference to the Aounist movement: “It is enough to panic regarding the elections. You failed and remained heresy megacenter two months before the elections, strange to this sudden reformist awakening following 5 years of your presence in government and the government with a disabled third.
