According to the regular visitors of a political figure, Georges Khoury’s name has long been floated as a potential presidential candidate.
However, he has recently resurfaced in the media spotlight. This former head of the army intelligence services, who appears to be actively promoting himself, is portrayed as the figure around whom the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and the Amal-Hezbollah duo could unite.
According to the same sources, Georges Khoury’s name is among a list of four individuals, set by the same political figure who is not yet playing all his cards.
It is easy to guess that this political figure is none other than Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. It is widely acknowledged that Berri is backing leader of the Marada movement Sleiman Frangieh for the presidency, while also favoring Georges Khoury’s candidacy.
However, the reasons behind his nomination remain unknown. Is this a test balloon? Is the duo attempting to gauge reactions from allies and adversaries, and perhaps from the Quintet (France, US, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt) to this option?
For instance, the Lebanese Forces reacted with near indifference to rumors of a potential alignment between the Free Patriotic Movement and the Shiite duo regarding Georges Khoury’s candidacy. For Samir Geagea’s party, former minister Jihad Azour remains the opposition’s candidate for the presidency. As long as Amal and Hezbollah have not officially renounced their support for Sleiman Frangieh, they are not inclined to entertain discussions regarding a third candidate.
