The leader of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Monday accused the Free Patriotic Movement led by Gebran Bassil of wanting to “prolong the drama and suffering” of the Lebanese people “by putting its leader at the head of the state.” Geagea’s comments come months before the end of the mandate of Bassil’s father-in-law, President Michel Aoun.
Bassil on Sunday criticized Geagea’s impact on Aoun’s term as president, saying,”Samir Geagea’s plan to get Michel Aoun to the presidency in order to make him fail has succeeded.” He added that Geagea has also “succeeded in the collapse of the president's mandate.”
Geagea hit back Monday as he announced the “Sovereign Zahle” list, which is backed by his party, for the May 15 legislative elections. “All that matters to the FPM is to strengthen its position in power and prolong this drama and suffering for six more years, by bringing its leader Gebran Bassil to the presidency,” Geagea said.
The Maronite leader also criticized the Iran-backed Hezbollah, led by Hassan Nasrallah, which is an ally and main supporter of the FPM.
“Those who really want to build and protect should not ally themselves with the most corrupt in Lebanon,” the LF leader said, in a reference to Hezbollah’s election campaign slogan “We stay to protect and build.” He went on to say Hezbollah’s goal is in fact "to protect its weapons, even at the expense of the Lebanese people” and pointed to the “pleas” of the FPM “sometimes to the system of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, sometimes to Hassan Nasrallah,” in order to gather votes in the elections.
The May 15 elections are an opportunity for Geagea to present himself as the main opponent of the Aoun mandate. At the beginning of April, the LF leader said that the main battle in the upcoming elections would be between his party and the FPM-Hezbollah tandem, and described “any vote given to the independent movements” as “a lost vote.”