Lebanese Forces (LF) leader Samir Geagea said Friday that “the presidency is not a consolation prize, neither internally nor under any strategic equation. All we want is for the next head of state to be a president in the true sense of the word.”
“We will not accept the election of a president who will allow the current situation to persist,” Geagea insisted, stressing that the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 is not linked to the top post. In this context, he rejected “any blackmail at the expense of the Lebanese people.”
The LF leader made these remarks at the annual dinner of the Lebanese Forces’ Aley office, held on Thursday evening in Meerab. He took the opportunity to explain the duties of the future president. According to him, he is the one “who will have to rebuild the state and who will be responsible for implementing reforms.” He must also be “the one who has no relations with the political parties that were in power during the previous period, especially as they are responsible for the current situation.”
Regarding the extension of the term in office of the Army’s Commander-in-Chief, General Joseph Aoun, Geagea stressed that “the Lebanese Forces were not the only ones fighting for this, but they were at the origin of this initiative, and they played a central role in achieving this objective to maintain stability within the military institution and the security forces.”
When asked why the LF had not exerted the same pressure with regard to the presidential election, Geagea affirmed that the party was deploying every possible effort to ensure that the election takes place as soon as possible.
He added that the LF are not requesting a specific candidate and are not seeking ministerial portfolios, suggesting that the party is no longer insisting on the candidacy of former Finance Minister Jihad Azour. Geagea’s comment could also insinuate that the LF are paving the way for talks on another presidential candidate.
