A former official says that there is no breakthrough on the presidential deadline and no consensus on a candidate. The Amal-Hezbollah duopoly continues to back its candidate, Marada leader Sleiman Frangieh, “to the hilt,” as Hezbollah has asserted.
Meanwhile, members of the opposition and the Free Patriotic Movement continue to support the candidacy of former minister Jihad Azour, until an agreement is reached on a third candidate. Circles close to the Lebanese Forces claim that the LF will not abandon their candidate until the Shiite tandem backs down from theirs.
According to some sources, House Speaker Nabih Berri is waiting for the results of the dialogue but has a list of names that have not yet been revealed to avoid discrediting them, as reported in opposition circles.
Nabih Berri’s list is said to include the names of Sleiman Frangieh, Jihad Azour and Fares Boueiz. A visitor to the Speaker reported that Berri said that “Sleiman’s candidacy is not working,” insisting that only a consensus candidate accepted by all is crucial.
