BEIRUT — Head of Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea pleaded in favor of unifying the opposition in Parliament on Monday, in order to avoid the election of a new president affiliated with the March 8 coalition, including Hezbollah.
Here’s what we know:
• “The most important step to take, as soon as possible, is to unify the opposition. If the opposition unites around the same presidential candidate, it will protect us from a president affiliated with the coalition of March 8,” Geagea said in an interview with Euronews.
• “If the opposition does not unite, there is a real danger if the March 8 camp manages to elect its president, whoever he is," he said.
• Geagea also stated that if the opposition agrees on his election as President, “everything will change.”
• He also noted that he has not officially made the decision to run, however reiterating that he is a “natural candidate” and he added that he is ready to “sit at the same table” with Hezbollah if the party “changes to look like any other Lebanese party, no longer monopolizes strategic decisions, and security and military of the state and if it hands over its weapons to the Lebanese army.”
• Geagea stated that he will refuse to be elected as president if that means that he becomes “like Aoun under the influence of Hezbollah.”