Free Patriotic Movement

Bassil’s Meeting with Iranian FM Envoy Raises Eyebrows

The head of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), MP Gebran Bassil, met on Tuesday with the Iranian Foreign Minister’s special envoy for Middle Eastern affairs, Mohammad Reza Sheibani. Officially, the meeting was aimed at discussing the ongoing war in Lebanon and its repercussions, according to Lebanese news agencies. However, Bassil’s meeting ...

What if Hezbollah Were to Return the Deposits?

Hezbollah's financial capacity is estimated to be around one and a half billion dollars, based on general assessments, as the true extent of its funds remains unknown. What is certain is that this money exists outside the banking system and is not part of any financial or economic framework affiliated with the Lebanese state. From these funds ...

Parliamentary Session Canceled Over Insufficient Quorum

A parliamentary session aimed at electing two secretaries, three commissioners, and members of parliamentary committees was canceled on Monday due to a lack of quorum. Speaker Nabih Berri had called for the session, but only 49 MPs attended, falling short of the required number. The absence of MPs from the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) ...

Parliamentary Committee Elections: What Is the FPM Up to?

Assuming that the first meeting of the ordinary autumn parliamentary session takes place on Tuesday (October 22), the following question remains: what does the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) have in mind concerning the reappointment of its MPs at the head of parliamentary committees or to positions within the Bureau of the Chamber? On Friday, ...

Nabih Berri, at the Heart of the Lebanese Equation

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri now bears the burden of the crisis alone. In the absence of a president, and with a non-executive government that is not meeting due to the absence of ministers from the Free Patriotic Movement, the international community has no one to negotiate with except for Berri. Although Caretaker Prime Minister Najib ...

FPM UK Coordinator Resigns

The wave of resignations within the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) has now reached Amin al-Khoury, the party's coordinator in the United Kingdom. Khoury resigned from the FPM’s organizational framework on Sunday. In his resignation statement, Khoury criticized FPM leader Gebran Bassil, stating that he had failed to manage the party's internal ...

Major Controversy About Enrollment of Displaced Syrians in Lebanese Schools

The Lebanese Forces (LF) and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) both called, on Saturday, on private and public schools and technical institutes not to register Syrian migrants in an irregular situation for the academic year 2024-2025. The controversy surrounding this case comes a day after the Ministry of Education issued a circular authorizing ...

The Decline of Bassil’s Standing in Dahyeh?

  The departure or expulsion of the four MPs from the "Free Patriotic Movement" (FPM) came amid complete silence from Hezbollah regarding what its partner in the "Mar Mikhael Understanding" is going through. This is despite the fact that the FPM leadership has not failed so far to keep up with Hezbollah's affairs and its ongoing concerns ...

Alain Aoun to This Is Beirut: Our Priority Is to Unblock the Stalled Presidential Election

MPs and former members of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) – Alain Aoun, Simon Abi Ramia, Elias Bou Saab and Ibrahim Kanaan – were at the Patriarchate's summer residence in Dimane on Thursday for a meeting with Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai. Following the meeting, MP Alain Aoun delved into its intricacies in a conversation with This is ...

Former FPM MPs From Diman: A National Christian Dynamic Is Needed

Former Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) MPs Alain Aoun, Simon Abi Ramia, Elias Bou Saab and Ibrahim Kanaan met with Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai at the latter's summer residence in Diman on Thursday, to advocate for closing Christian ranks. At the end of the meeting, Kanaan announced that the former FPM MPs aimed to “create a national ...

Parliamentary Committees: Operating Guidelines and Political Context

Scheduled for October 22, the upcoming elections of parliamentary committees — typically a routine affair — will this year be a focal point of political maneuvering amid rising tensions within the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM). For the FPM, the stakes are high, as the elections will decide whether key figures — Ibrahim Kanaan (Chair of ...

Bassil Won’t Be Running in the Next General Elections

Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) chief Gebran Bassil will not run again in the next parliamentary elections, in line with new regulations he has introduced as part of a “corrective move” within the party, according to FPM circles. The move is aimed at ensuring a smooth transition from the cult of the founder, Gebran’s father-in-law and former ...