Presidential election: Geagea again voices opposition to dialogue

BEIRUT — On Thursday, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea again expressed his refusal to take part in any dialogue related to the presidential election. The election of a new Lebanese president has been deadlocked since last year, with political parties unable to agree on a successor to Michel Aoun following the end of his mandate on Oct. 31.

French Envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian visited Beirut at the end of July and proposed that Lebanese stakeholders participate in an informal dialogue in September to find a solution to the presidential vacuum.

Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, both of which support Marada leader Suleiman Frangieh for president, have been calling for an unconditional dialogue for months. Hezbollah's Christian ally, the Free Patriotic Movement, refuses to back Frangieh.

Despite the tension between the two allied parties, the FPM and Hezbollah embarked on dialogue last month to find a solution to Lebanon's persisting presidential vacuum.

The LF's Geagea, however, has little confidence in any dialogue.  “We entered into thousands and thousands of experiments with the Mumanaa (Hezbollah's axis) and the Free Patriotic Movement, but none of these experiments succeeded," he said.

"Recently, [the FPM leader Gebran Bassil] had a series of contradictory positions … Bassil has a personal problem with Frangieh and not a political one, but despite that, we hear that he is ready to agree [on his presidency]," Geagea added in remarks published on the LF website.

He also noted that in his view, Hezbollah is in a better position than the FPM, as it has a "clear political project" but the "Free Patriotic Movement does not have a project" and their work is based on accumulating power.

Geagea added that it is his belief that a president will not be elected any time soon, but that it is crucial to elect a president to would tackle Lebanon's economic crisis.

Lebanon has been facing an economic meltdown since 2019. The World Bank ranked the economic collapse in the top three worst economic crises globally in 150 years.

According to Geagea, the "Lebanese Forces and the opposition groups do not have a solution other than remaining in their position." The LF and the opposition parties support the candidacy of former minister Jihad Azour, an International Monetary Fund official.

Geagea called on Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to call for parliamentary sessions to elect a new president.

The last parliamentary session to elect a new president was held on June 14.