The leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, Gebran Bassil, waving his party's flag in Jezzine on May 24, 2025. (Photo taken from the FPM's X account)
Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader Gebran Bassil addressed his supporters a few hours after Saturday’s municipal elections in Jezzine, southern Lebanon, saying “General Michel Aoun is still Jezzine’s first love.”He had just scored a major victory against his main Christian rival, Lebanese Forces (LF) head Samir Geagea. While Geagea had been securing victories in major Christian villages, Bassil swept all 18 seats of the municipal council in the district’s capital, handing the LF their first real defeat. Still, the FPM’s win was only a bittersweet one.This is because this triumph was the result of bizarre alliances forged in anticipation of the election, most notably with Ziad Aswad, a former MP expelled from the FPM before the 2022 legislative elections. Ibrahim Azar, a former MP close to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri — long despised...
Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader Gebran Bassil addressed his supporters a few hours after Saturday’s municipal elections in Jezzine, southern Lebanon, saying “General Michel Aoun is still Jezzine’s first love.”He had just scored a major victory against his main Christian rival, Lebanese Forces (LF) head Samir Geagea. While Geagea had been securing victories in major Christian villages, Bassil swept all 18 seats of the municipal council in the district’s capital, handing the LF their first real defeat. Still, the FPM’s win was only a bittersweet one.This is because this triumph was the result of bizarre alliances forged in anticipation of the election, most notably with Ziad Aswad, a former MP expelled from the FPM before the 2022 legislative elections. Ibrahim Azar, a former MP close to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri —...