Qabalan to Geagea: No presidential elections without Shiite MPs

BEIRUT — Mufti Ahmad Qabalan said Sunday that Parliament will not convene to elect a president without the participation of Shiite MPs. This statement came after Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said Wednesday that he was ready to hold a parliamentary session to elect a president without the Shiite community’s participation.

Lebanon has been without a president since Michel Aoun’s term ended on Oct. 31, 2022. Hezbollah and the Amal Movement have been supporting Marada leader Sleiman Frangieh for the presidency. The Lebanese Forces and their allies have accused Hezbollah and the Amal Movement of disrupting the elections to favor their preferred candidate.

“The Parliament has not and will not convene to elect a president without the Shiite MPs, and no one can isolate the Shiites in Lebanon. Now is the time to protect Lebanon, which is governed by consensus, and the alternative to consensus is ruin,” Qabalan, who is close to the Amal Movement and Hezbollah, said.

On Wednesday, Geagea said in an interview with LBC: “Yes, I accept a session to elect a president without the participation of the Shiite community. The Constitution allows it, as does the National Pact. For example, if the Maronites refused a decision, would the country be paralyzed as a result?”

Qabalan added Sunday that Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri is the only one who can call an electoral session, according to the state-run National News Agency.

Qabalan emphasized the importance of partnership and solidarity over division, saying that “protecting Lebanon is the greatest national interest of all, and Lebanon’s national value stems from the country’s sovereignty.”

“Let us stop the game of political betrayal... To the hawks, I say: A consensual Lebanon is a supreme national interest, protecting civil peace is Lebanon’s greatest necessity... and what is going on now is an unprecedented strategic war, and there is no alternative to protecting Lebanon.”

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in a conflict for more than a year, which has killed at least 3,136 people in Lebanon.