Supporters of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri rallied in Akkar on Sunday morning. (Credit: Michel Hallak/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Supporters of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who returned to Beirut on Thursday after being absent from the local political scene since last July, organized a convoy from Akkar in North Lebanon to Beirut on Sunday morning to call on him to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections. The Future Movement leader is reportedly heading towards a boycott of the vote and is expected to make an announcement in relation to this on Monday afternoon.
Here's what we know:
• According to our correspondent in North Lebanon region, supporters of the Future Movement, from several villages in Akkar, headed in cars and buses to the capital to participate in a sit-in as a sign of support for the former head of government. Chanting songs and slogans in his favor, they demanded the participation of the former prime minister in the elections scheduled for May 15.
• The previous day, car convoys in support of Hariri had also crisscrossed the streets of the Lebanese capital toward evening, especially in the neighborhood of Tariq al-Jadideh. Supporters of the Sunni leader then gathered in front of Center House.
• On Sunday, the press office of the Future Movement said in a statement that Hariri will announce a decision on his participation in the upcoming parliamentary elections during a news conference scheduled for Monday at 4 p.m. at Center House.
• Groups across the political spectrum are eager to learn whether or not of the Future Movement will participate in the upcoming elections, in order to assess the decision's impact on political alliances for the polls.
• Hariri left Lebanon last summer for the United Arab Emirates, where he has reinvested in the business world after several financial setbacks in recent years, coupled with a loss of popularity in Lebanon. His withdrawal from the political arena followed his failure to form a government in July 2021. On Feb. 14, Hariri is expected to commemorate in Beirut the 17th anniversary of the assassination of his father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.