Geagea Says State Slowly Eroding as Presidential Elections Adjourned to March
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea expressed regret on Wednesday that the state is decaying over the failure to elect a new head of state and expressed optimism on reaching an agreement with his rivals in the Free Patriotic Movement.
“In the absence of a president, the state is eroding bit by bit,” said Geagea during a press conference he held at his residence in Maarab, the same day MPs failed again to elect a new president.
“There are no reasons for vacuum,” the presidential candidate said.
“From the first session, MPs should have gone to parliament” to choose a successor to President Michel Suleiman whose term ended in May last year, he told reporters.
“The decision to elect a president lies in the hand of the Lebanese,” Geagea stressed.
“We are losing the Lebanonization of the elections,” he said.
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan “Nasrallah should not await an agreement … abroad and should send his MPs to parliament to elect a president,” the LF chief stated.
The majority of the Hizbullah-led March 8 MPs have boycotted the sessions aimed at electing a new head of state, causing a lack of quorum.
Among boycotting lawmakers are members of Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun's Change and Reform bloc.
Speaker Nabih Berri adjourned Wednesday's session to March 11 after a limited number of MPs came to parliament.
During his weekly meeting with MPs, Berri said the failure to elect a president is unfortunate and opportunities to “Lebanonize” the polls are still available.
Geagea also said in his press conference the dialogue between the LF and the Free Patriotic Movement is ongoing. “They are exerting all efforts to guarantee its success.”
“Honestly, we don't have the same viewpoint on the presidential elections. We put the issue aside and are continuing to discuss other issues,” he said.
Geagea stated that the LF and FPM are preparing a document of principles.
The LF chief and Aoun, another presidential candidate, are set to meet after the finalization of the document.
The rivalry between the two leaders is one of the reasons that caused the vacuum at the country's top Christian post.
G.K.
M.T.
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