The Christian parties rejected Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri’s call for dialogue, on the grounds that the one who should be invited to this table is the President of the Republic, until Berri canceled his dialogue initiative. Before the end of his term, the President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, called for a dialogue table in Baabda Palace, but several forces refused to accept this invitation for various considerations. However, it may be the first time that both the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces agree on a single position regarding refusing dialogue, especially in light of the presidential vacancy period that has existed since the beginning of this November. But what are the alternatives presented by the parties that reject dialogue, in order to reach consensus on electing the new president of the republic this Thursday, which will witness an eighth round of elections?!
Informed political sources confirmed that there is no agreement yet between the Christian parties, and if this was achieved, they would have been able to bring the candidate they agreed to elect for the presidency. The head of the “Independence Movement,” Representative Michel Moawad, for example, could have won the votes of the representatives of the “Strong Lebanon” bloc had he not declared himself a candidate of challenge and confrontation, especially since he was a member of this bloc in the previous parliament and submitted his resignation from the bloc and from the parliament on The impact of the October 17, 2019 uprising, to join the ranks of the opposition. However, classifying himself as the “Lebanese Forces” candidate, he returned him to the political system, and made the “Free Patriotic Movement” not convinced of his election to the presidency. This means that the two major Christian parties are continuing their political disputes, instead of dialogue and agreement between them on the name of the new president of the republic.
The sources say that the convergence between the “strong Lebanon” bloc and the “strong republic” bloc cannot happen soon, despite the existence of an intellectual convergence between several deputies from each of the two parties, especially since each of them sees the characteristics of the next president of the republic from his point of view, and from his vision. The future of Lebanon, which differs from the view of the other. The Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Mar Beshara Boutros Al-Rahi, tried to gather the Christian leaders in Bkerke to dialogue with each other, but they refused, since there were no common denominators in their views, to be agreed upon.
At the same time, the same sources find that nothing has changed, so that any new president who will be elected can find solutions to the Lebanese crises with a magic wand. The new political contract that France called for through its President Emmanuel Macron has not been achieved, despite his attempt to find regional and international approval on this matter. Also, the betting of many that immediately after President Aoun leaves Baabda Palace, things will improve in the country, and the exchange rate of the US dollar will decrease, as if President Aoun is the one who caused the economic and financial collapse, has also failed, as the price of the dollar continues to rise, and living matters become more complicated. And more, with the price of the customs dollar being fixed at 15,000 Lebanese pounds instead of 1,500. All crises in the country are heading towards further collapse in light of the presidential vacancy, and in light of the caretaker government that can only conduct the affairs of citizens in the narrow sense.
From here, the sources indicated that the continuation of the political disputes will not lead to the election of a president for the republic, neither this Thursday nor in the subsequent election sessions, as long as consensus does not exist, and no one seeks to reach it, and as long as the first round of each election session closes after Disable quorum. Patriarch Al-Rahi drew attention to this matter from Rome, when he said in his sermon last Sunday from Saint Maron Church that “no custom is contrary to the constitution, and the constitution, in its article 49, stipulates that the president is elected by two-thirds of the votes in the first session, and in the next and subsequent sessions by an absolute majority ( That is, half plus one). “Why is the first session closed after each poll and the quorum is disrupted in the next session, contrary to Article 55 of the Council’s bylaws?” Al-Rahi also indicated that “the parliament cannot continue to deliberately delay and manipulate the election of a president who would ensure the continuity of the entity and maintain order,” accusing the parliamentarians of trying to erase the active Christian role in general and the Maronite in particular.
What is required is that the Christian parties preserve the active Christian role in Lebanon, according to what the sources commented, and to secure this, the “Free Patriotic Movement” and the “Lebanese Forces” must agree. Everything can happen in order to save the country, and the revival of the “Maarab agreement” becomes a necessity when things turn towards the absence of the Christian role for several months, and until after the next New Year. With the difficulty of nominating both the head of the “national movement,” Representative Gebran Bassil, and the head of the “forces,” Samir Geagea, for the presidency, each for several reasons, the two must agree on the name of the candidate accepted by the Lebanese people in general, and by Christians in particular for the presidency, and without It is acceptable to leave the decision to the other parliamentary blocs concerned with electing both the prime minister and the speaker of parliament.
The same sources believed that Patriarch Al-Rahi, in the event of prolonged political disputes, would call on the leaders, especially the Christian ones, to assume their responsibility towards the Lebanese people, and agree to name a president for the republic. The country cannot continue with all the crises that afflict it without a president, and without an effective government with full powers, because the people can no longer bear more collapse and the consequences placed on their shoulders, and there is no one who asks or works to solve these crises to relieve them somewhat.
As for the endeavor to bring together the two major Christian parties, it must happen through a third party with the aim of saving Lebanon, and not leaving it to its unknown fate, which, if it lasts too long, will inevitably affect its entity, identity, and demography. This is what Christian leaders cannot agree to if they care about Lebanon’s interest first before their personal interests.