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KINGS OR KING MAKERS

Gebran Bassil, the ‘vizier who wants to be caliph’

Three prominent Maronite leaders have held the Baabda Presidential Palace in their sights for many years: Samir Geagea, Gebran Bassil and Sleiman Frangieh. All believe they are natural candidates for the presidency, but they are not the only ones with eyes on the presidential seat.

Bassil and Geagea have both admitted — albeit Geagea with more ease — that they will not succeed this time around in ascending to the presidency. But all three men want to have their say and consider that the road to Baabda must pass through them.

With the clock to elect a president officially ticking, L’Orient-Le Jour offers a deep look at the political trajectory of these three men and their notable ties to the presidency.

In this second article of our series, we take a look at Gebran Bassil, one of the most divisive figures in Lebanon.

Gebran Bassil, the ‘vizier who wants to be caliph’

Photo courtesy Gebran Bassil's press service

Can a simple meeting change a country’s political future? It seems so. This particular scene took place in 1993, in the small Parisian town of La Haute-Maison on Christmas Eve. It was the first time Gebran Bassil had set foot in France, and he had...
Can a simple meeting change a country’s political future? It seems so. This particular scene took place in 1993, in the small Parisian town of La Haute-Maison on Christmas Eve. It was the first time Gebran Bassil had set foot in France, and he had...