Lebanese Forces MP Said Asmar said on Tuesday that the Free Patriotic Movement’s only aim, during its concertations with the opposition parties, was to remove Marada leader Sleiman Frangieh from the presidential race.
In an interview with This is Lebanon, Asmar dismissed any “good intentions” from FPM officials in the meetings they recently held with opposition blocs. “They did not really want to agree on a common candidate, but rather to exert more pressure on Hezbollah,” he said, accusing FPM leader Gebran Bassil of “wanting to be the only candidate for the presidency.”
Asmar emphasized that the Lebanese Forces “will not vote for any candidate outside the opposition blocs, and will use all means provided by the Constitution and the laws to prevent the election of any Hezbollah-allied candidate who would pursue the same line adopted during the past 6 years, because it will only prolong the political and economic crisis.”
“What happened in the last few weeks made us stronger and more determined to have a good candidate for the presidency, who will definitely be from the opposition,” he concluded.
