Ghada Halawi
It was “dated” between the two former prime ministers, Fouad Siniora and Saad Hariri. The dispute emerged into the open between a president who temporarily abstained from political life, without retiring from political work, and another who left the womb of political freedom and violated its president’s decision to refrain from running for elections and boycotting voting.
Prime Minister Hariri wants to prove the fact that his departure will have a clear impact on the Lebanese arena in general and the Sunni arena in particular, and that he will maintain his political constants.
On the other hand, Siniora’s support for the electoral lists in Beirut, the North and other circles stems from a clear and public criticism of former Prime Minister Hariri’s performance, especially his failure to confront Hezbollah.
Siniora holds his former political chief responsible for Hezbollah’s control of Beirut’s decision-making and the decision-making elements in the state. This division was reflected within the Future Movement’s audience between a commitment to Hariri’s decision not to participate in nomination and election, and a supporter of participation and support for the list of former Minister Khaled Qabbani backed by Siniora.
Some circles refer to a list supported by the leader of the Future Movement, Ahmed Hashemeh, which is the “Heidi Beirut” list, which is made up of the Alliance of Friends of the Future with the Islamic Group and independents. It is the first time that Al-Ahmadan (Hariri and Hashemite) meets with whom they consider “a political opponent who has turned into a symbol of the coup against political Hariri.” It is difficult to isolate Siniora’s visit to Dar al-Fatwa from the old debate that appeared in the form of statements. It can be understood that Siniora sought help from Hariri and his cousin at Dar al-Fatwa to obtain a Sunni consensus on his decision to participate in the elections. Therefore, it seems that the closer the parliamentary elections, the sharpening the dispute between President Fouad Siniora and the Future Movement.
Siniora rejected Hariri’s decision to suspend his political work and refrain from running in the parliamentary elections. He evaded his commitment to it on the grounds that he was not partisan, and therefore the future conditions for those wishing to run from the partisans, that is, to resign from the current, do not apply to him.
Hariri, on the other hand, wants to emphasize the decision to boycott the parliamentary elections through candidacy and voting as a political stance on the composition of the forces that make up the political system, which did not and will not facilitate the process of political reform and the development of a saving vision for the country.
Siniora seeks to abort and empty Hariri’s tendencies of their content, and uses Hariri’s decision to file a complaint with Dar al-Fatwa with the support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The information says that the return of the Saudi ambassador, Walid al-Bukhari, to Lebanon came in the context of correcting the mistake of leaving the foundation and making moral efforts to support Siniora to fill the void created by Hariri’s decision, especially as the Lebanese arena is preparing for two entitlements: parliamentary and presidential after less than 7 months.
The official Saudi position on the elections and their aftermath has become clear towards Lebanon. The priority is the humanitarian issue, as evidenced by the diversity of invitees to the breakfasts hosted by Ambassador Al-Bukhari, and his tours of the three presidents, in addition to the decision to establish the French-Saudi Fund for Aid.
The course of dealing with Lebanon differed from what it was before, but without full involvement in the overall political process and appearing as a public and direct party, although it is remarkable that the number of meetings that Al-Bukhari gathered with Siniora since his arrival, where he went to visit him and then invited him three times in a row to an Iftar banquet and then he accepted his invitation to Suhoor including There is no doubt about a Saudi tendency to recommend Siniora’s electoral movement in the face of the list of Nabil Badr, who is affiliated with the future leader Ahmed Hashemiyah.
Speaking yesterday after his visit to Dar Al-Fatwa and his speech the day before yesterday, Siniora departed from Hariri’s generalization and started calling for evasion of him or a coup against him, considering that the commitment to the boycott would make the capital “a loose Beirut, each one trying to falsify its will.” It is as if Siniora wants to blame Hariri in advance for his bloc’s failure in the parliamentary elections. This necessitated a strong response from Ahmed Hariri, which he announced after consulting with Saad Hariri, which was immediately translated on the ground by raising huge pictures of Hariri in the Sunni areas of Beirut appended with the phrase “Yes to the boycott,” to confirm the future and its leader’s endeavor to boycott the elections by nomination and voting, not just a candidacy. Al-Ahmadineh movement in order to devote the boycott to the elections, which called for a counter-mobilization of former MP Salim Diab in favor of Siniora, who is linked by Beiruti sources with the blessing of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf in general, as he is the supervisor of the file of economic relations, and he has a strong relationship with merchants, contractors and Lebanese businessmen in the Arab Gulf.
The Hariri-Siniora battle, which is no longer hidden from anyone, in which the media’s weapons are known at a time when observers expect a war of statements and corresponding statements between the two sides to rage in the coming days of the opening of the ballot boxes. Observers do not deny the two sides’ efforts to mobilize Beiruti Sunni forces through daily communication with major keys at the level of Beirut and to provide social temptations and aid, which is done away from consultation with the regional mayors who fear severing the relationship with Hariri. It is said that a few mayors accepted an invitation to meet with Diab.
Among those who left the future and joined the Siniora movement were Rashid Fayed, Nazih Khayat, Mustafa Alloush, Bilal Al-Hashimi, Saleh Farroukh, and to some extent Khaled Shehab, not to mention the basic keys that revolve in Salim Diab’s orbit, while Ahmed Hariri is unable to secure elites from the established personalities. at the hands of Hariri’s father.
A few days before the elections, there was a “coup” between Hariri and Siniora, and things are escalating. With “Saudi” fingerprints supporting Siniora, it seems that the parliamentary electoral battle is gaining regional dimensions.
Sources familiar with the atmosphere of Siniora’s list said that those in charge of the Future Movement were disturbed by the reports that talked about the progress of the “Beirut facing” Siniora list. What bothers the Future Movement is Siniora’s insistence on repeatedly warning of the repercussions of Hariri’s decision on Sunni representation in parliament and in political life in general, and holding him responsible for filling the void with an opposing political team, which is contrary to reality because the Shiite duo will have a large parliamentary bloc consisting of the 27 Shiite representatives, with A mass of allied Christian representatives distributed in different regions and departments. The future is disturbed by the campaign of political intimidation launched by Siniora and considers that it is not permissible to blame Hariri for the failure of the list from today on the basis of either we win and our participation is right, and if we fail, it will be because of Hariri’s decision.
Hariri, who is facing such accusations in the media through his representatives, will remain silent throughout the period until the results of the parliamentary elections are issued, after which he will resume his political work and then for every recent incident.