Independant MP Ihab Mattar emphasized the need for the election of the Lebanese President to be an internal matter during a meeting on Saturday. He highlighted that the main reasons for nominating General Joseph Aoun as a candidate for presidency were two, “the first is related to his credibility and merits, and the second is connected to the symbolism of the military institution, transcending sectarian and regional boundaries.”
Mattar clarified that he nominated Aoun with the aim of achieving symbolic consensus as well as recognizing his competence.
The MP added, “thus our choice of him confirms that the selection of a third person who is different is possible. Lebanon does not operate on the principle of winners and losers. How many times have they tried to overcome each other to control the country and failed? We hope that the decision to choose the president remains internal.”
He attributed his approach to “good governance, free from favoritism.” Mattar also explained that “spending more than 20 years in exile did not negatively affect my political and administrative work.”
The delegation expressed their recognition of Mattar as a representative not only of Tripoli but of all of Lebanon. They presented him with a commemorative shield symbolizing unity and the shared national interest.
