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Despite the position being vacant for about a month, the Lebanese parliament failed Thursday for the eighth time in a row to elect a president. As the process of electing a president of the state, which the House of Representatives initiated at the end of last September, is still suspended until now, due to the fact that the representatives did not reach a political agreement due to deep divisions in light of the accelerating economic collapse that the authorities are unable to contain. So far, only opposition MP Michel Moawad, the son of former President Rene Moawad, who was assassinated in 1989, has formally presented his candidacy.
After a six-year term for the Lebanese president Michel Aounended on October 31, and for the eighth time in a row, Thursday failed Lebanese representatives The 128 who are constitutionally responsible for electing his successor, to keep the position of head of state vacant.
52 deputies submitted to the polls with a white paper, while Representative Michel Moawad, who is supported by the Lebanese Forces led by Samir Geagea and other blocs, including the Druze leader Walid Jumblatt’s bloc, got 37 votes.
In the first round of voting, a candidate needs a two-thirds majority, or 86 votes, to win this position reserved for Maronite Christians, so that if a second round takes place, the required majority will be 65 votes out of 128, which is the number of parliament members.
Today’s result, which is very similar to the results of previous sessions, does not diminish the determination of Michel Moawad, who holds a degree in public law from the Sorbonne University “Paris II Pantheon Basis”. He is Francophone and well aware of the challenges and dangers that politicians face in Lebanon, and he aspires to assume the highest positions in his country.
Politics is a family legacy
Michel Moawad was born in Beirut in 1972. He is a father of four, the son and political heir of former President Rene Moawad, who was assassinated on November 22, 1989, on the 46th anniversary of Lebanon’s independence and two weeks after his election on November 5.
Rene Moawad was assassinated in an explosion targeting his convoy in an area that was under the control of the Syrian forces in Beirut. His family attributed the operation to Damascus, and until now, neither the perpetrators of the attack nor those behind it have been found or convicted.
Like his late father, who had the image of a reformist and moderate politician, Michel Moawad calls for Lebanon’s sovereignty and the rebuilding of a strong state.
In an interview with France 24 in early November, he confirmed: “I am not running after a position, but I am defending a cause… the cause of Lebanon“.
It is considered that he proved this when he resigned from his post as deputy, five days after the deadly double explosion that hit the port of Beirut on August 4, 2020.
It is a resignation that he considers a “political act” that denounces the inability of the government, as well as the House of Representatives, to assume its responsibilities, and the impossibility of reforming the system from within.
Michel Moawad was re-elected in Zgharta during the last legislative elections last May, the same constituency that his father won, and then his mother, Naela Moawad, after the assassination of her husband, who was vacant as Minister of Social Affairs between 2005 and 2008.
This, and the sovereign politician dreams of unifying the ranks of the dispersed opposition, considering it a prerequisite for changing the political situation in a country whose economy has been collapsing day after day since October 2019, explaining: “I am convinced that if the opposition does not unite … behind a common vision and a candidate whose mission is to restore the state And trust will turn into a scattered opposition that has no influence on political life, and on completing the situation in Lebanon at all levels as it is today.
Michel Moawad also believes that if he succeeds in forming a unified bloc of 65 opposition deputies, it will be easier to influence the political scene, saying, “We must make a real agreement with Hezbollah and those around it…but there is a big difference between reconciliation and settlement…”
He is betting on his ability to attract other deputies, including Sunni deputies and others who arrived in Parliament after the popular protests that swept Lebanon starting from October 17, 2019.
A challenge candidate according to Hezbollah
It is difficult to win the bet, especially since Michel Moawad, who is considered a staunch opponent of any form of political hegemony and Hezbollah’s weapons, considers him and his allies to be the challenge candidate.
His critics accuse him of political opportunism, and mention his closeness to Washington or his joint list with candidates from President Michel Aoun’s party, the political ally of the Shiite party, during the 2018 legislative elections, about which he later expressed regret.
The support of the most prominent traditional opposition forces, including the two Christian parties (the Lebanese Forces and the Kataeb) and the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) for the Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, is considered an additional impetus for the Lebanese politician, who is now rejecting the concept of a consensual president. Considering that “the settlement brings a gray president who has no color or decision and completes the dominance of weapons and corruption over the Lebanese state… and reconciliation… confirms Lebanese sovereignty and the state of institutions…”
In front of the questions of observers who believe that there can be no elected president in Lebanon without a prior agreement between the regional powers that have influence in the region and intend to play a role in Beirut, similar to Iran and Saudi Arabia, and with a green light from major powers such as the United States and France, Moawad urges his colleagues We are called to elect a president for Lebanon. We do not wait for a regional or Arab agreement, an American-Iranian dialogue, or a French move. It is a shame… What is required is that we go to the House of Representatives and elect a president of the republic… This requires all representatives to exercise their constitutional duties. and political…”
In the end, this message may not find an echo next Thursday in Beirut.
Text: Mark Daou. Prepared for Arabic by: Fares Bouchieh