Protesters holding FPM flags. (Photo credit: NNA/File)
The Free Patriotic movement (FPM) announced Wednesday that a "popular procession" well be held to commemorate the departure President Michel Aoun, whose term ends Oct. 31.
The procession is scheduled for the same day as Aoun's departure and will be held at the presidential palace of Baabda. Lebanese deputies must elect his successor before that date.
The announcement comes amid questions about the president's intention to vacate his office on Oct.31, or whether he will try to remain in power if a new government is not formed by the deadline.
"[FPM is] holding an annual commemoration for Oct. 13, a highly symbolic date in the history of the party, by organizing a popular procession for the end of [the president's] term," on Oct. 31, the FPM's political bureau said in a statement.
On Oct. 13, 1990, Michel Aoun was forced to leave Baabda Palace after an offensive led by the Syrian army. At the time, he served as commander-in-chief of the Lebanese Army, appointed by then-president Amine Gemayel to head a transitional military government responsible for electing the next head of state, which he never did.
The statement concluding by calling for "supporters of the FPM, sympathizers and friends to prepare for this commemoration and this event in honor of the founding leader." Aoun founded the Free Patriotic Movement in 2005.
The president has repeatedly stated his intention leave the presidential palace at the end of his term, but often tempers his words with certain conditions.
"I will leave Baabda if the situation is normal and no one is trying to do harm," Aoun said in a recent interview. His unpopularity among many Lebanese people may lead to unrest during the announced procession, in a country where tensions are high in the midst of an unprecedented economic crisis.