The leader of the Kataeb party, Sami Gemayel. (Credit: NNA/archive photo)
BEIRUT — Kataeb leader Sami Gemayel on Wednesday evening criticized what he said was Hezbollah's role in the country's presidential election deadlock, warning against a new "civil war" should the party keep "imposing its choices."
Lebanon has had no president since the end of former head of state Michel Aoun's mandate on Oct. 31, 2022. Parliament has failed to elect a new president since then, amid a lack of political consensus on who to name to the post.
"Hezbollah is trying to impose its candidate, the head of the Marada [Movement] Sleiman Frangieh, and Hezbollah will continue to block the process until it gets its way," Gemayel said Wednesday during a televised interview on the LBCI channel. "If Hezbollah continues to impose its choices on the Lebanese, a civil war could break out," he warned.
"I have discussed with all the components of the opposition ... We first want to prevent Hezbollah's takeover of the presidency and then suggest a name we can agree on. Discussions are already well underway," Gemayel said.
Amid the deadlock, Hezbollah and its ally the Amal Movement support of Frangieh for president, while their opponents remain divided.
Though favored by part of the Parliamentary opposition, independent Zgharta MP Michel Moawad has not yet obtained enough votes to win.
Meanwhile, France implicitly supports a deal that would see the presidency go to Frangieh and the post of prime minister to Nawaf Salam, a judge at the International Criminal Court who is close to the opposition.
According to some observers, however, France has given up on this proposal after rejection from Lebnaon's two main Christian parties, the Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement.
According to recent press reports, Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai may soon travel to Paris to discuss the presidential issue with French President Emmanuel Macron. Lebanon's president is traditionally always a Maronite.
"The French have realized that their proposal could not work," said Gemayel on Wednesday. Regarding the candidacy of army chief Gen. Joseph Aoun, recently supported by Qatar, Gemayel said that if Aoun wanted to run for president, he would have "to address political issues and share his ideas and directions."
As for Riyadh's involvement in the process, Gemayel said that "Saudi Arabia does not want to interfere in internal Lebanese affairs.”
The Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, Walid Bukhari, recently said that Riyadh "does not veto any candidate" for the presidency as long as that person is subject to consensus.