Forces of Change MP Waddah Sadek speaks after a meeting with the Lebanese Forces MPs in Maarab on Sept. 17, 2022. (Screenshot from YouTube/Waddah El Sadek)
BEIRUT — Forces of Change MPs said Saturday that they share "a common vision" with the Lebanese Forces MPs after a visit to the headquarters of Samir Geagea's party in Maarab, northeast Lebanon, as part of a parliamentary tour with other MPs to determine the profile of Lebanon's next president, as the end of President Michel Aoun's term on Oct. 31 approaches.
"This meeting was the longest of those already held by Forces of Change MPs, and we have a common vision with the group of the Strong Republic," said MP Waddah Sadek after the meeting. "Next week, we will begin to discuss the names" of potential candidates, he added.
Forces of Change MPs Sadek, Melhem Khalaf, Ibrahim Mneimneh, Najat Aoun Saliba, Mark Daou and Paula Yacoubian met with Geagea and LF MPs Ghassan Hasbani, Melhem Riachi, Fadi Karam, Ghada Ayoub and Georges Okais, the state-run National News Agency reported.
"We explained the importance of our initiative to save the country, and we agreed that all aspects of our initiative coincide with the values of the Strong Republic bloc," Sadek said, referring to the initiative launched in early September by the 13 Forces of Change MPs to elect "a rescue president" for a country in crisis.
"Our initiative today is based on change. We are trying to transform political systems in order to elect a new president who is made [chosen] in Lebanon," Sadek continued. In the run-up to the presidential election, political figures who identify with the opposition camp have repeatedly voiced their rejection of external interference in Lebanon's choice of president.
For his part, Hasbani said that the LF wants to elect a "rescue president who is not subject to any external control and who is able to protect and implement the constitution, as a priority."
The formula of "a rescue president" was launched by Geagea during a mass earlier this month. The leader of the LF regularly calls on the various opposition forces to unite against his rival Aoun's camp.