MP Gebran Bassil, leader of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), said Thursday that his efforts to narrow the gap between parliamentary groups to facilitate the election of a president of the Republic are aligned with similar initiatives by other parliamentary blocs.
In a public briefing about the outcome of his recent tour of political forces, Bassil said his efforts are aimed at advancing the presidential election process, instead of proposing a new initiative.
“Our clear objective has been consultation for consensus or election,” he said, stressing that the proposed pre-election consultations are not intended to become a norm but are rather an exception dictated by the current circumstances.
“We face very urgent and critical deadlines in Lebanon by the end of summer, which is why we decided to undertake our tour in coordination with existing initiatives from other blocs such as the National Moderation and the Democratic Gathering,” he added.
Commitment by all parties not to boycott the election sessions is to be followed by a limited consultation period and consecutive sessions to ensure the aspired outcome.
Bassil dismissed talk of excluding candidates, saying, “The sessions will be consecutive over three days, with four rounds in each session. We proposed limiting candidacy to two individuals if no result is achieved after 12 rounds.”
