Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri talking with his second-in-command, Elias Bou Saab, in Ain al-Tineh, Dec. 4, 2024. (Credit: The legislative leader's Facebook page)
A week after convening the MPs for a Jan. 9 parliamentary session dedicated to electing a president, over-optimism seems to have given way to realism and intense political exchanges. The aim is to ensure the broadest possible consensus around a candidate, in order to facilitate the election. It’s a difficult task, given that after Hezbollah showed signs of “openness” and “cooperation,” Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri refloated the candidacy of Marada leader, Sleiman Frangieh. It is as if he is sending the message that Hezbollah continues to have a say in the presidential elections although significantly weakened by the war with Israel.“Sleiman Frangieh is the main candidate,” Berri told Al-Joumhouriya daily earlier this week, and reiterated his well-known position: “I do not see any hurdle that would prevent him from being the subject of...
A week after convening the MPs for a Jan. 9 parliamentary session dedicated to electing a president, over-optimism seems to have given way to realism and intense political exchanges. The aim is to ensure the broadest possible consensus around a candidate, in order to facilitate the election. It’s a difficult task, given that after Hezbollah showed signs of “openness” and “cooperation,” Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri refloated the candidacy of Marada leader, Sleiman Frangieh. It is as if he is sending the message that Hezbollah continues to have a say in the presidential elections although significantly weakened by the war with Israel.“Sleiman Frangieh is the main candidate,” Berri told Al-Joumhouriya daily earlier this week, and reiterated his well-known position: “I do not see any hurdle that would prevent him from being...