BEIRUT — Marada leader Sleiman Frangieh announced on Wednesday that he was withdrawing from the presidential race in favor of the army's commander-in-chief, General Joseph Aoun, on the eve of the parliamentary election session scheduled for Thursday at 11 a.m.

“Now that the conditions are met for the election of the President of the Republic tomorrow, and considering the current situation, I announce the withdrawal of my candidacy, which has never been an obstacle to the electoral process,” Frangieh, Hezbollah's main candidate, said in a statement.

“Following what I declared in previous stances, I support General Joseph Aoun ... I wish the Parliament success in the electoral process and the country to navigate this stage with unity, awareness, and responsibility,” he continued, thanking the MPs who had voted for him during previous electoral sessions.

On the eve of the parliamentary meeting that could lead to the election of a new president after more than two years of vacancy, the special envoy of the French President for Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, is currently touring the Lebanese political officials. This visit takes place as the Saudi envoy to Lebanon, Yazid ben Farhane, has also arrived in Beirut.