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A new tremor in the Free Patriotic Movement

Several members of the party slammed the door after the dismissal of an official from the Aley district.

A new tremor in the Free Patriotic Movement

The supporters of former-president Michel Aoun gathered in front of Baabda Presidential Palace on the occasion of the end of his term on Oct. 31, 2022. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient-Le Jour)

The turmoil in the Free Patriotic Movement continues.

In recent days, Gebran Bassil’s party witnessed a new series of resignations in protest of the dismissal of Maroun Abi Khalil, an FPM official from the Aley locality of Kahaleh.

Abi Khalil was expelled from the FPM in November after a legal council within the movement accused him of having worked against its list of candidates — referred to as “The Mountain” — during the May parliamentary elections. The list was formed by an alliance between the FPM and pro-Hezbollah Druze leaders Talal Arslan and Wiam Wahhab.

‘Dictatorship’

Let’s start from the beginning. Intra-party elections were initially held by the FPM in November 2021 to designate its candidates for parliamentary elections the following May.

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“Maroun Abi Khalil ran for one of the two Maronite seats in Aley,” confirmed a source close to the dismissed official. Despite the fact that many party members were unable to renew their voting cards, he obtained more votes than Caesar Abi Khalil, but the latter’s candidacy was ultimately selected. Caesar Abi Khalil, who served as energy minister, is known for his close relationship with Bassil.

“Maroun Abi Khalil then protested against this decision. As a result, he was summoned before a semblance of legal council, which dismissed him after accusing him — without evidence — of acting against the interests of the party during the parliamentary elections,” said the above-mentioned source.

“After the dismissal of Maroun Abi Khalil, dozens of FPM members in Kahaleh returned their [voting] cards,” the source added, without specifying how many.

In response to a question about the motives of the party’s leadership, the source explained: “This is a new step in the plan of Gebran Bassil, who wants to exclude all opponents and replace them with loyalists, with the aim of making the FPM a real dictatorship.”

Bassil, whose popularity has declined since the popular uprisings of 2019, wants to consolidate his grip on the FPM. Many observers also speculated that the end of former president Michel Aoun’s term in office — and the loss of power by his camp — would weaken unity within the party, possibly leading to its disintegration.

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Several early Aoun supporters were excluded or resigned from the FPM in recent months, including former MP Hikmat Dib (Baabda), Mario Aoun (Chouf) and Ziad Aswad (Jezzine). All had a checkered relationship with Bassil.

“Since the end of Michel Aoun’s term in office, Gebran Bassil has been trying to set himself up as the only strong man of Aounism,” said a former FMP official.

‘Stronger than ever’

The FPM, however, presents another version of the story.

“Maroun Abi Khalil certainly obtained a good score in the first phase of the intra-party elections, but in the other two phases, he was overtaken by Caesar Abi Khalil,” explained Martine Kteily, vice president of the party.

Kteily explained the party’s internal elections as being divided into three phases: a first phase for the party members, a second for the party’s popular base and independents, and a final phase open to all voters.

“The legal council within the party is an independent body, so I do not have the evidence that it invoked to justify this decision,” said Kteily, who excluded the possibility of any political interference.

“Moreover, the information circulating about the resignation of ‘several dozen’ Aounists is false. It is simply a handful of members of the family of Maroun Abi Khalil, who resigned as a sign of discontent,” said Kteily.

For her, the end of Aoun’s term in office does not deal a blow to the FPM’s unity.

“On the contrary, now that we are in the opposition, we are stronger than ever,” she said.

Another FPM MP known for his sometimes critical views of his party said he has the same opinion.

“The end of the Aoun’s years term has not substantially affected the FPM’ the members remain faithful to our values,” he said.

And loyal to Gebran Bassil?

This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour. Translation by Joelle El Khoury,

The turmoil in the Free Patriotic Movement continues. In recent days, Gebran Bassil’s party witnessed a new series of resignations in protest of the dismissal of Maroun Abi Khalil, an FPM official from the Aley locality of Kahaleh.Abi Khalil was expelled from the FPM in November after a legal council within the movement accused him of having worked against its list of candidates — referred to...