Frangieh's election is better than a vacuum: Bassil

Gebran Bassil, leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, stated on Thursday that he would prefer the election of his rival, Marada leader and Hezbollah and Amal candidate Sleiman Frangieh, to the continuation of the presidential vacancy, which has persisted for over a year and a half since Michel Aoun's term ended. Speaking at a press conference at the FPM headquarters in Mirna Chalouhi, Bassil reviewed his recent tour aimed at urging Lebanese political forces to elect a president.

"We spoke with the National Gathering. We explained why we cannot support their presidential candidate Sleiman Frangieh, but if he manages to get elected with 65 votes, his election is better than the presidential void," he said.

Bassil, who had been staunchly opposed to Frangieh’s candidacy — to the point of questioning the 2006 alliance between his party and Hezbollah — showed signs of softening his stance on Thursday. The FPM bloc appears willing to ensure the necessary quorum for a potential election of Sleiman Frangieh.

Bassil's tour began with the Maronite Patriarch in Bkerke and concluded Thursday with a meeting with Hezbollah parliamentary bloc leader Mohammad Raad. He also met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, leader of the Amal movement, as well as the Progressive Socialist Party, the National Moderation bloc (former Hariri supporters), and the more radical opposition factions (Kataeb, Lebanese Forces, and some independent MPs).

"We started from Bkerke and went through Speaker Nabih Berri, with whom we have built a positive relationship for the country's benefit. We agreed that it’s essential to agree before the elections to ensure a chance of success," Bassil detailed, highlighting his rapprochement with the Amal leader, once considered an adversary.

Bassil called on all parties to engage in dialogue or consultations to facilitate the presidential election.

"It’s normal for the Parliament Speaker to call parliamentary blocs to a dialogue," Bassil asserted. However, the opposition rejects this condition, arguing that Berri has no right to condition the convening of an electoral session, accusing him of making dialogue tables an "unconstitutional custom" before each election.

"Berri is ready to declare that the dialogue table is not a custom and was held due to the exceptional circumstances the country is experiencing," Bassil emphasized.

To persuade the opposition, Bassil assured that "dialogue participants" would commit to "not boycotting the subsequent electoral sessions" and that "the consultation period would be limited." The Amal-Hezbollah duo and their allies have caused a lack of quorum in the 13 electoral sessions held so far by refusing to attend. Bassil also noted that sessions would be consecutive for three days, with four voting rounds per session, echoing the formula proposed by Berri two days earlier. He added that the FPM suggested limiting the number of candidates to two if no results are achieved after 12 voting rounds.

"We have entered a long political slumber since the last electoral session in June (the last convened to elect a president exactly a year ago)," Bassil said, clarifying that his approach was more about "sharing ideas" than launching an initiative. "We see an opportunity, but it’s limited in time because we are heading towards significant deadlines in a dangerous context," he added, referring to the repercussions of the Gaza war and southern Lebanon.