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A few days prior to the presidential elections taking place on June 14, Lebanon witnessed official interventions from both presidential candidates, Sleiman Frangieh and Jihad Azour. While the former took on an aggressive and targeting tone in his speech, the latter opted for a peaceful and non-confrontational approach.
During his speech on Sunday, the leader of the Marada targeted all parties, trying to discredit his political opponents, namely the Lebanese Forces, the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), and the MPs representing the October 17 protesters who are in favor of Azour. In addition, he stated that their support of the former Minister of Finance comes from “a desire to block the way to a candidate capable of reassuring Christians.” Contrastingly, on Monday, Jihad Azour made it clear that he was “not a confrontation candidate” and was working on the sole mission of “getting the country out of the abnormal situation it resides in.” In addition, Azour claimed that he “stands outside political and community alignments.”
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In response to the speeches, MPs from the Lebanese Forces (LF) bloc voiced their opinions regarding their stance.
MP Ghayath Yazbeck described the two candidates as polar opposites, where the “difference between black and white is apparent.” Frangieh represents the “regional man” while Azour represents the “statesman.” In addition, he warned the “gray” or indecisive parliamentarians against the threat of their choice: “To the gray MPs, your white papers are a stab in the back, your third candidate is a failure, your hesitation is a betrayal to your voters and a setback to the state.” He also described the presidential session as being “halfway between the death of a nation and its resurrection.”
MP Ghassan Hasbani directly addressed the parliamentarians of Beirut about the reprimand of their choice. “On behalf of the martyrs, victims, and affected individuals of the Beirut port explosion and their families, I ask: How will the fellow MPs from the capital and specifically Beirut’s first district vote in the presidential elections? Although the voting is secret, it is the right of those whose city was destroyed and who have not seen justice to know the answer. My vote, of course, goes to Jihad Azour, as the blank ballot serves the interest of his opponent.”
Moreover, MP Georges Okais affirmed that “the Shiite duo considers any candidate other than Sleiman Frangieh as a challenge. We have demonstrated to Hezbollah that there is a parliamentary majority rejecting its policies and military maneuvers. Therefore, we are facing a democratic battle, and everyone should know who they want to vote for, or else they would be cowardly and unwilling to confront the party.” He also noted that there were “no provocations in Minister Jihad Azour’s statement, but on the contrary, he felt that it was “very reasonable and resonated with the youth.” He believes that Azour’s message is clear: “he wants to reestablish the middle class.”
In conclusion, all points of view reveal the Lebanese Force’s support for Azour, and warn that white ballots will play in favor of Sleiman Frangieh.
