Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri during a press conference in Beirut, Jan. 24, 2022. (Credit: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters
BEIRUT —The French Foreign Affairs Ministry said Tuesday in a press briefing that the withdrawal of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri from Lebanese political life should not "have an impact on the organization of the legislative elections.” The upcoming parliamentary elections are scheduled for May 15.
Here’s what we know:
• During a press briefing, the ministry said that the withdrawal of the head of the Future Movement Party "should not have an impact on the need to organize the legislative elections, as planned, on May 15, in transparency and impartiality… the priority must go to the implementation by the Lebanese leaders of the reforms necessary to restore the living conditions of the Lebanese and to end the crisis.”
• The French ministry also recognized that Hariri, whom they claimed to have been in regular contact with, "played a central role on the political scene.”
• "It is a decision which is up to him, which we respect and which it is not for us to comment on" the Foreign Affairs Ministry said, adding that “France remains for its part, in conjunction with all of its international and regional partners, determined to support the Lebanese population.”
• Hariri, who headed the cabinet as prime minister three times, announced on Monday that he is stepping aside from political life and asked his party to do the same. This decision was expected by some, as Hariri had been living for months in the UAE after failing to form a government and resigning as prime minister-designate in July 2021.