Members of the Presidential Guard remove the Lebanese flag at Baabda’s Presidential Palace after Michel Aoun’s departure, Nov. 1, 2022. (Credit: Dalati Nohra).
Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) MPs said it clearly. They are ready to support any candidate for the presidency, including Marada leader Sleiman Frangieh (their rival and Hezbollah’s favorite), if Hezbollah and its camp commit to implementing two key measures: extensive administrative and financial decentralization, and a trust fund to manage state assets.Although it has been in the news for some time, the outline of what is known behind the scenes as the FPM’s “shopping list” is unclear, particularly since, as critics say, it consists mainly of vague slogans. What is the trust fund project that Gebran Bassil put forward? What does decentralization mean to the FPM leader?A Trust fundWhile decentralization has long been one of the FPM’s key demands, the trust fund is a new addition to its vocabulary. “We are suggesting the establishment of...
Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) MPs said it clearly. They are ready to support any candidate for the presidency, including Marada leader Sleiman Frangieh (their rival and Hezbollah’s favorite), if Hezbollah and its camp commit to implementing two key measures: extensive administrative and financial decentralization, and a trust fund to manage state assets.Although it has been in the news for some time, the outline of what is known behind the scenes as the FPM’s “shopping list” is unclear, particularly since, as critics say, it consists mainly of vague slogans. What is the trust fund project that Gebran Bassil put forward? What does decentralization mean to the FPM leader?A Trust fundWhile decentralization has long been one of the FPM’s key demands, the trust fund is a new addition to its vocabulary. “We are suggesting the...