FPM leader Gebran Bassil arriving at the first parliamentary session after the May 31, 2022 legislative elections. (Credit: Anwar Amro/AFP)
Amid a resounding round of applause, Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader Gebran Bassil stood out — for his silence. He did not share the same enthusiasm of the rest of the 127 MPS, including those of the FPM-led Strong Lebanon, who greeted the newly elected president, army chief Joseph Aoun, when he entered Parliament. For Bassil, Jan. 9, 2025, will go down as a dark day in history. It marked another step in a steady decline that began in 2019, dealing yet another blow to his presidential ambitions. It also appears to herald the beginning of a prolonged period of political isolation. “They told us: Make sure not to stand alone. We replied: We remain alone, free to make our own decisions. No threat will intimidate us, no temptation will sway us,” Bassil, the son-in-law of former President Michel Aoun, said on X. “We are the guardians of...
Amid a resounding round of applause, Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader Gebran Bassil stood out — for his silence. He did not share the same enthusiasm of the rest of the 127 MPS, including those of the FPM-led Strong Lebanon, who greeted the newly elected president, army chief Joseph Aoun, when he entered Parliament. For Bassil, Jan. 9, 2025, will go down as a dark day in history. It marked another step in a steady decline that began in 2019, dealing yet another blow to his presidential ambitions. It also appears to herald the beginning of a prolonged period of political isolation. “They told us: Make sure not to stand alone. We replied: We remain alone, free to make our own decisions. No threat will intimidate us, no temptation will sway us,” Bassil, the son-in-law of former President Michel Aoun, said on X. “We are the...
