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The presidential race has come to a standstill and gone back to square one. The Free Patriotic Movement is waiving the blank vote cast after negotiations with the opposition have seemingly stopped with no consensus reached.
FPM MP Alain Aoun said, “Dialogue cannot be terminated, but a position could be taken during the waiting period as negotiations remain inconclusive.” He revealed that “if a parliamentary session is scheduled with no consensus, the FPM would consider casting a blank vote.”
“We strive to elect a president with the participation of both camps, and this will not be achieved if we sever the ties between the different blocs. Dialogue should continue in the hope that circumstances will evolve and positions will change,” MP Aoun told This Is Beirut.
When asked whether the FPM has vetoed potential candidates that were recently considered, he said his group will not endorse a candidate who does not meet the criteria for consensus, adding that “the developments will eventually determine our final decision.”
Lebanese Forces spokesperson Charles Jabbour disclosed in a phone interview with This Is Beirut that “(Gebran) Bassil (Head of the FPM) froze the negotiations suddenly because he is apprehensive of Hezbollah’s reaction. It is clear that Hezbollah has sent Bassil a message indicating that running against the opposition will sever the last link with the FPM.”
Jabbour explained that “Bassil was keen on the negotiations in an attempt to draw the opposition closer to him by claiming that he wanted a consensual candidate who would be acceptable to both camps – the opposition who support Michel Moawad and the Hezbollah and Amal-backed candidate Sleiman Frangieh – but he suddenly suspended them.”
Jabbour stated that Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri will not schedule a session as long as he has not secured the 65 votes needed for his candidate to win. “All the bragging about securing Frangieh’s election is just propaganda. He will not call for a session to avoid being humiliated,” Jabbour added.
He argued that if an electoral session is convened, FPM MP’s would cast blank votes since no agreement has been reached over a compromise candidate to face Frangieh.
