The failure of the Lebanese parliament to select a new president on Wednesday reflected the extent of disagreement between its two major political blocs, leading to the postponement of the vote until 30 April.

Apparently, the frustrating outcome emerged in response to the severe split between the Hezbollah-led 8 March Alliance and the anti-Syrian 14 March Coalition, led by the Future movement, over the three-year civil war in neighbouring Syria.

On 30 April, a new voting session will take place, hopefully with a political consensus on one candidate in advance, thereby ending the process of finding a successor to current President Michel Suleiman, whose six-year term concludes on 25 May.

What happened in parliament?

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri warned on Friday that political conditions were “not mature enough” for the election of a president, according to Lebanon’s Al-Safir newspaper.

Things went exactly that way. Four members out of the 128-member parliament did not attend the voting session, and seven votes were considered as void. The 8 March coalition’s MPs submitted 52 blank ballots.

Samir Geagea, leader of the Lebanese Forces Party, backed by the 14 March coalition, had 48 votes, while ex-president Amin Gemayel secured only one vote. MP Henri Helou won 16 votes.

Helou, whose father Pierre Helou had occupied several ministerial posts, is supported by a limited bloc of independents and centrists including Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, who announced his position a day ahead of the parliamentary voting.

A quorum of two-thirds of the votes is needed for a candidate to become president. If not available, only a 50+1 majority will be needed during the second voting round. A president must be elected in the period from 25 March until 15 May.

The Lebanese power-sharing system requires a Maronite Christian as president, a Sunni Muslim as prime minister, along with a Shia Musim for parliament speaker. This formula did not evolve out of the blue. Rather, it dates back to a 1943 agreement.

Such politico-ethnic conditions were re-asserted during the 1989 Taif Agreement, which put an end to the 15-year civil war. The peace deal also empowered the premier’s post at the presidency’s account.

Damascus’ hazardous spill over

Last December, Mohamed Chatah, an advisor to the cabinet of ex-premier Fouad Saniora and his successor Saad Hariri, died in a Beirut explosion.

One hour earlier, he accused Shia Hezbollah on Twitter of “pressing hard to be granted similar powers in security and foreign policy matters that Syria exercised in Lebanon for 15 years.”

The incident showed the extent of disagreement between the 14 and 8 March groups about the sending of Hezbollah’s fighters to Syria, a position seen by Saad Hariri and his allied groups as a threat to Lebanon’s internal security.

Saad’s father, ex-prime minister Rafik Hariri, was assassinated in a car bomb in 2005, an act that Hezbollah members are accused of committing.

Some historical facts are worth mentioning here. Damascus’ influence on Lebanon commenced with a military intervention in 1976 in a bid to stop the Lebanese civil war. The withdrawal came only after Rafik’s killing.

In relation to Lebanon’s presidential race, Syria had allegedly pressed for a three-year extension to the predecessor of President Suleiman, Emile Lahoud – thought to be Syrian leaning – in September 2004. The extension decision coincided with a UN Security Council resolution at the time calling for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Lebanon.

This time, Lebanese political forces – in addition to Suleiman himself – seemed to not be attracted to the same approach. This situation necessitates the arrival of a new president.

Andrew Tabler, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, argued that the head of the Future movement, Saad Hariri, is not going to give Hezbollah the “presidency easily,” given his rejection to the latter’s backing of the Syrian regime of Bashar Al-Assad in the ongoing war.

And then?

It took Lebanon’s premier Tamam Salam 10 months to form an equally-divided cabinet between both major blocs. When it comes to the man who will enter the Baabda palace, things are a bit tougher.

For Hezbollah, the 8 March entity in general, leader of the Free Patriotic Movement Michel Aoun is a choice that they hinted to favour for the second round, according to several media reports.

Meanwhile, head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc Mohamed Raad rejected on Saturday Geagea’s candidacy, claiming that he “would delay holding the presidential election on time and cause trouble in the politically divided country.”

According to the Daily Star newspaper, Raad said that Hezbollah wants a candidate who will “safeguard and defend the resistance option and is keen on the unity of the Lebanese.”

Even Michel Aoun, a former military commander, claimed that the Lebanese people have “vivid memories” against Geagea and “have demonstrated a great deal of aggravation” against him, the Lebanese National News Agency reported.

Geagea, the candidacy list’s most controversial name, became leader of the conservative Christian party in 1986, and was a key part of the 14 March Coalition against the Hezbollah-led 8 March Alliance.

After serving 11 years in prison for crimes committed during the country’s civil war, which ended in 1990, the leader of the Lebanese militia was granted amnesty by parliament in 2005.

In an interview with Al-Arabiya last month, Geagea said that he was the “natural candidate” for the presidency, being the head of the “most popular party among Christians, according to statistics.” He added that he was waiting for the “most opportune moment” to announce his candidacy.

He has always said he would push for the withdrawal of Hezbollah troops from war-torn Syria if elected president. “Hezbollah is fighting [in Syria] in order to protect its position and that of Iran in the region, not to protect the Shias,” he said, claiming that Hezbollah’s sustained intervention in Syria will lead to the destruction of Lebanon.

Randa Slim, an expert on Lebanese affairs, said that “it is impossible” for Geagea to gain the support of 8 March, particularly Hezbollah, given the history between him and the Israelis during the civil war.

She added that the decision to leave Syria will be made only by Hezbollah and its Iranian patron, and that the only community in Lebanon that can pressure Hezbollah to leave Syria are Lebanon’s Shia.

“We are not near that stage. Especially after the war of terror waged by Sunni extremist groups operating in Syria targeting Shia-majority communities in Lebanon, the majority of Lebanon’s Shia support Hezbollah’s military intervention in Syria. Whether or not this will remain the case will depend on how long this intervention will last,” Slim noted.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea hailed on Wednesday the March 14 camp on the success of the first round of the presidential elections, saying that it restored dignity to the polls after years of foreign meddling.

He remarked: “We will not acquiesce to a settlement over the presidential elections and we will continue with the democratic process until the end.”

He made his statement after parliament held the first round of the elections in which he is a candidate.

He received the vote of 48 MPs, while 16 lawmakers voted for Aley lawmaker Henri Helou, one for Kataeb Party chief ex-President Amin Gemayel, and 52 cast blank ballots.

سمیر جعجع نامزد مورد نظر بلوک ۱۴ مارس و رهبر نیروهای لبنان ۴۸ رای و هنری حلوُ نامزد بلوک مرکز تحت رهبری ولید جنبلات  ۱۶ رأی و که

Discarded votes included names of victims of the Lebanese Civil War.

“We will not return to old habits of choosing a president behind closed doors and through foreign interference,” added Geagea in reference to Syria’s influence over the elections in the past.

“We will continue with the electoral process to the end and until a Lebanese-elected president is chosen,” he vowed.

Asked about the names of civil war martyrs that were cast, the LF chief replied: “I was hoping that the other camp would have resorted to honorable means to express its disdain for the elections.”

He criticized the manner in which the other camp “threw about the names of the victims,” accusing the March 8 alliance of seeking to obstruct and tarnish the electoral process in order to pave the way for foreign meddling in the polls.

On claims that he is a confrontational presidential candidate, Geagea asked: “Do they want a president who does not have a presidential program? Don’t they want a president who has answers to Lebanon’s problems?”

“We will cooperate with whichever president is elected as long as he is chosen through democratic means,” he added.

The Christian leader, along with several other March 14 officials and reporters, had followed up the parliamentary session from his residence in Maarab.

Earlier on Wednesday, Geagea expressed regret that the March 8 alliance didn’t name a candidate for the presidential elections, describing the electoral process as “normal.”

“For the first time in many years the presidential elections are serious and made in Lebanon,” he told reporters.

He pointed out that “the rival party has no choice but to deal with the matter seriously.”

The first round of the elections failed to elect a new president amid disputes over the name of the new head of state, which threatens a vacuum at the helm of the country’s most important Christian post.

Parliamentary blocs will vote for two candidates – Geagea and the Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc member, MP Henri Helou.

A candidate needed to secure 86 votes of the 128-member parliament during the first round to be named president.

A second round of elections will be held on April 30, where a candidate will need 65 votes to claim victory.

یک کاندایدا برای برنده شدن در دور اول بایستی ۸۶ رأی از مجموع ۱۲۸ رأی را بیاورد.  ولی برای برنده شدن در دور دوم کسب ۶۵  رأی کافیست

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon announced on Tuesday issuing new arrest warrants for the five suspects accused of being involved in the assassination of former premier Rafik Hariri, following the Prosecution’s submission of a joint indictment.

“The STL has issued new arrest warrants for Salim Jamil Ayyash, Mustafa Amine Badreddine, Hassan Habib Merhi, Hussein Hassan Oneissi and Assad Hassan Sabra following the Prosecution’s submission of a consolidated indictment,” the tribunal said in a released statement.

It explained that that the “indictment reflects the charges against all of the five accused as a result of the joinder decision of 25 February 2014.”

“The Trial Chamber has now requested that the Lebanese authorities act on these new arrest warrants,” the statement said.

“International arrest warrants will also be provided to Interpol for circulation in other countries,” it added, noting that the charges against the accused remain unchanged.

The in absentia trial of four Hizbullah members accused of murdering Hariri in February 2005 opened in The Hague in January 2014.

Ayyash, Badreddine, Oneissi and Sabra were indicted in 2011 with plotting the attack, but have not been arrested. Meanwhile, Merhi was charged in late 2013 in the case and is also still at large.

On February 26, the Trial Chamber ordered the adjournment of the trial sessions until at least early to mid-May to allow Defense counsel for Merhi adequate time to prepare for trial and to conduct their own investigations.

The February 14, 2005 seafront blast killed 22 people including Hariri and wounded 226, leading to the establishment by the U.N. Security Council of the STL in 2007.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea succeeded on Tuesday in gathering the support of the March 14 alliance in his run for presidency, on the eve of a parliamentary session dedicated for holding the first round of vote on a new head of state.

March 14 leaders convened in the evening at the Center House, and declared Geagea as their candidate for presidency.

“We discussed the presidential elections and we stressed the importance of respecting constitutional deadlines,” the alliance said in a statement after the talks.

“And after communicating with all parties, leaders and political figures in the coalition, we confirm supporting the nomination of Geagea and we consider that his candidacy is a representation of the principles on which the Cedar Revolution and March 14 were based,” it added.

“We hope all MPs will consider (Wednesday’s session) an opportunity to cross towards establishing a state in Lebanon.”

MTV noted that MPs Marwan Hamadeh, Antoine Saad and Fouad al-Saad attended March 14 coalition’s meeting, hours after Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat announced the revival of the Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc and the nomination of its member MP Henri Helou for the presidency.

However, it was not immediately clear whether they will vote for Geagea or Helou.

Earlier in the day, both the Kataeb Party and al-Mustaqbal bloc also announced that Geagea is their presidential candidate.

The Kataeb Party stated that it will attend Wednesday’s parliamentary session aimed at electing a new president.

MP Elie Marouni said after the party’s meeting: “We will take part in the session and vote for LF leader Samir Geagea as president.”

“The party is working on bolstering the unity of the March 14 alliance to help it in the electoral process to ensure Geagea’s victory,” he added in a brief statement.

Later on Tuesday, Geagea telephoned Kataeb leader Amin Gemayel to thank him for his support in the run for office.

“The LF and the Kataeb have always shared the same path,” Geagea said.

The Kataeb political bureau announced on Monday that “the current period requires — more than ever — the presence of a competent president at the helm of the country, given the ongoing challenges and the fateful transformations that are surrounding Lebanon and the Middle East.”

“Accordingly, the political bureau stressed the need to preserve the unity and solidarity of the March 14 forces … so that their candidate can seek to garner the broadest national support,” it added.

Also on Tuesday, al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc convened at the Center House and officially announced endorsing Geagea’s candidacy for presidency.

“Geagea’s presidential program reflects the aspirations of a majority of the Lebanese in having an independent, sovereign and free state who has a monopoly of power over Lebanese territories,” a statement issued by the MPs said after the meeting.

The statement continued: “This program is also a reflection of the principles and core values of the independence revolution and of the March 14 coalition in facing projects of hegemony and military and security domination.”

The MPs emphasized the March 14 alliance’s unity.

“We must preserve this solidarity especially as Hizbullah’s weaponry is developing and attempting to take control of the country, and as the party is participating in the fighting in Syria alongside an oppressive regime that has lost its legitimacy,” they explained.

The bloc’s statement comes on day earlier MP Ahmed Fatfat announced after meeting with a LF delegation that al-Mustaqbal lawmakers “fully support” Geagea for presidency.

However, and while the bloc has officially announced endorsing Geagea’s run for office, the decision of the northern city of Tripoli’s MPs is still ambiguous. Reports have said that the Tripoli MPs will not back the LF leader, especially as northern residents have openly voiced their rejection of his nomination and even took to the streets to condemn any possible support by the city’s MPs to his candidacy.

Geagea and Democratic Gathering MP Henri Helou are so far the only two candidates running in the elections.

The March 8 camp has not yet declared a candidate for the polls.

Parliament is expected to convene on Wednesday to elect a president amid concerns that the needed quorum will not be met.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam hoped that the parliament would elect a new president on Wednesday and stressed that the differences between the rival parties were not on the concept of resistance but on the use of its arms in Lebanon.

In an interview with Sky News Arabia, Salam said: “Nothing prevents an agreement on the name of the president if the political parties had the intention and will.”

“The president could be elected by simple majority,” he said although he did not rule out any other scenario.

Parliament is scheduled to convene on Wednesday to elect a new president. Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea is the sole politician who has officially announced his candidacy.

Salam denied there was foreign intervention in the election process as with former presidents. But he said: “With no doubt there was some foreign influence.”

“This is not something new,” he told his interviewer.

Asked about Hizbullah, Salam said: “We need the resistance as long as there is occupied land.”

“The differences are not on the concept of resistance but on the use of the resistance’s arms internally,” the premier stated.

“This raises the question: Where is the state? And where is the decision of war and peace?”

“This decision should be in the hands of the state and the resistance should know that … the state is the (sole) authority,” Salam said.

The prime minister stressed that his “cabinet does not run a crisis but runs a country.”

“The security achievement was the result of consensus between the political parties,” he said, adding: “Without it there would not have been any possibility to cut the road to outlaws.”

The authorities are implementing a security plan in the northern city of Tripoli and the eastern Bekaa Valley, which has so far led to the arrest of dozens of criminals.

he Change and Reform Bloc is expected to attend the parliamentary session on the presidential election on Wednesday without its leader MP Michel Aoun amid a tendency to cast so-called blank votes.

Pan-Arab daily al-Hayat quoted Change and Reform sources as saying that Aoun would decide on the move during the bloc’s weekly meeting on Tuesday.

His lawmakers and their allies in the March 8 alliance are expected to cast white votes to protest the candidacy of Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea.

The protest votes would be 56 or 57 if the three Tripoli MPs join them, exceeding the votes that Geagea would get from his March 14 alliance by one or two, al-Hayat said.

The Tripoli MPs – former Premier Najib Miqati and former Ministers Mohammed al-Safadi and Ahmed Karami – could resort to another option to vote for the candidate of Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat, the daily said.

Reports have said that Jumblat, who heads the centrist National Struggle Front bloc, would on Tuesday announce the candidacy of his bloc member MP Henri Helou.

The Kataeb Party called Monday for preserving “the unity and solidarity of the March 14 forces” and for choosing a March 14 presidential candidate who can garner “the broadest national support.”

“Kataeb’s politburo convened this evening and evaluated the outcome of the contacts made by its members regarding the nomination of party leader Amin Gemayel for the presidency of the Lebanese republic,” a statement said.

The political bureau pointed out that “the current period requires — more than ever — the presence of a competent president at the helm of the country, given the ongoing challenges and the fateful transformations that are surrounding Lebanon and the Middle East.”

The politburo urged all parliamentary blocs to attend the first round of voting on Wednesday and to secure quorum in order to kickstart the process of electing a new president.

“Accordingly, the political bureau stressed the need to preserve the unity and solidarity of the March 14 forces … so that their candidate can seek to garner the broadest national support,” said the statement.

“Kataeb’s political bureau has tasked party leader Amin Gemayel with the responsibility of continuing political contacts, in order to take the appropriate stances that might be needed in light of the developments and the phases of the electoral process,” the statement added.

So far, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea is the only political leader who has announced his official nomination for the presidency.

According to media reports, contacts are underway between Kataeb and the LF in a bid reach consensus over a single March 14 presidential candidate.

LBCI television reported Friday that contacts between Bikfaya and Maarab were close to producing consensus over the presidential vote and therefore preserving the March 14 coalition’s unity.

Kataeb MP Elie Marouni assured on Thursday that Gemayel is a “natural candidate in the presidential race, because the party sees in him a strong and popular president.”

Labor Minister Sejaan Qazzi, who is Gemayel’s adviser, announced as well that the Kataeb leader was preparing to declare his candidacy.

“Gemayel is a normal candidate for presidency … He doesn’t need an electoral program,” Qazzi told al-Jadeed television.

President Michel Suleiman’s tenure ends on May 25, but the constitutional period to elect a new head of state began on March 25. The parliament will hold the first round of voting on Wednesday.

The election is not expected to be an easy process amid a lack of agreement on a consensual candidate.

Head of Loyalty to Resistance bloc MP Mohammed Raad stressed Monday that the country’s next president must “embrace the resistance and must be aware of its role and importance.”

“Our people and their representatives (in parliament) have the right to choose the president who can preserve the resistance’s achievements, the unity of the Lebanese, national sovereignty and independence,” Raad said during a memorial service in the southern town of Deir al-Zahrani.

“We are before a presidential vote in a country whose land was liberated from a Zionist occupation,” Raad noted.

“Had it not been for the resistance and its fighters and martyrs, this election would not have been on the table today, and therefore it is not acceptable to elect a president whose mentality and choices contradict with the resistance’s achievements,” he added.

The top Hizbullah lawmaker underlined that “the next president must embrace the resistance and be aware of its role and importance, not out of idealistic devotion but rather out of keenness on national sovereignty, which would always be at risk without resistance.”

“Those nominating themselves for the presidency must endorse this vision while competing against a candidate who is carrying the program of a new civil war,” Raad added, in an apparent reference to Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea.

Last week, Geagea announced a presidential program that focuses on “restoring the authority of the state against the proliferation of weapons.” He is the sole politician to have officially announced his candidacy for the polls, whose first round will be held on Wednesday.

Without naming him, Raad emphasized that “all parties” do not perceive Geagea as a serious presidential candidate.

President Michel Suleiman’s tenure ends on May 25, but the constitutional period to elect a new head of state began on March 25.

The election is not expected to be an easy process amid a lack of agreement on a consensual candidate.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea stated that vacuum in the presidency is possible “should the other camp choose to obstruct the democratic process,” reported al-Jazeera television.

He said in an interview that will be aired on Monday night: “I do not fear security chaos should vacuum arise.”

“Vacuum is also possible should centrists shy away from their responsibilities,” he remarked.

“Vacuum should instead demand that we study the situation because a certain faction in Lebanon does not want to ensure the rise of the state,” explained the LF chief.

“We cannot continue in an imbalanced and uneven state that does not have complete authority over its powers,” Geagea said.

Asked about the rapprochement over the presidential elections between the rival Mustaqbal Movement and Free Patriotic Movement, he responded: “We support open talks between all Lebanese.”

“Attempts to understand the other are not a sign that concessions over a political agenda will be made,” he noted.

Moreover, Geagea denied claims that regional and international powers are seeking the election of FPM leader MP Michel Aoun as president due to his ties with Hizbullah and the possibility that he may reach an agreement with the party over its possession of arms.

“I have not received any foreign diplomatic proposals on Aoun’s election, but I believe that some March 8 camp media outlets are promoting such claims,” he said.

The regional and international role in the elections is limited, he noted, while pointing out that Iran alone is holding sway over the polls.

“We have a serious chance to elect a president who is ‘made in Lebanon’ seeing as major powers are preoccupied with other affairs,” he stressed.

Asked if a constitutional amendment will be made to elect a president outside of the political fold, such as Central Bank Governor Riyad Salameh or Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji, Geagea replied that none of the parliamentary blocs have made such a suggestion.

“A constitutional amendment is only made when a very dangerous development takes place and only with the consent of all parties,” he explained.

Geagea is so far the only official to submit his nomination for the elections.

President Michel Suleiman’s six-year term ends in May.

A parliamentary session to hold the elections has been scheduled for Wednesday, amid concerns that the necessary quorum will not be met.

Speaker Nabih Berri had stated that the conditions to hold the elections are “not ripe yet.”

The deadline to elect a president ends on May 25.

Deputy head of Hizbullah’s Executive Council Sheikh Nabil Qaouq declared Sunday that his party is seeking the election of a Lebanese president who is “feared by Israel,” stressing that Lebanon cannot tolerate an “anti-resistance” and anti-Syria president.

“Lebanon is on the eve of a major national juncture that concerns every Lebanese, and Hizbullah is very concerned with the course of this presidential election and it is not neutral or a mere spectator,” Qaouq said.

“We are seeking to secure the election of a strong president who is feared by Israel and whom Israel would not want to see in the Baabda Palace,” the Hizbullah official added.

He defined a “strong president” as one who is “the strongest at the national level and whose election would represent a message of firmness and invincibility in the face of Israel and the takfiris.”

Qaouq called on “those betting on the election of an anti-resistance and anti-Syria president” to “cease these bets,” underscoring that “Lebanon does not tolerate such a president and it is not the right arena for foreign dictates and obligations.”

“Israel had bet on international resolutions to weaken the resistance and it failed, and it bet on the March 14 camp — which had targeted and is still targeting the resistance’s arms — and it has also failed,” Qaouq added.

“After all these futile bets, the resistance today is at the peak of its strength and is living its best days at the political, military and popular levels,” he said.

President Michel Suleiman’s tenure ends on May 25, but the constitutional period to elect a new head of state began on March 25.

On Wednesday, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea announced a presidential program that focused on “restoring the authority of the state against the proliferation of weapons during a time of regional unrest.”

He is the sole politician to have officially announced his candidacy for the polls, whose first round will be held on April 23.

The election is not expected to be an easy process amid a lack of agreement on a consensual candidate.

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Ongoing Contacts between Geagea, Kataeb to Name Single March 14 Candidate, LF Delegation Soon in Rabieh

by Naharnet Newsdesk ۲ days ago

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi has congratulated Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on the announcement of his candidacy and his presidential platform.

Al-Rahi telephoned Geagea on Thursday night and thanked him for sending a delegation to hand him a copy of his program, the LF leader’s press office said.

It added that the patriarch also congratulated Geagea on his candidacy and his program which focuses on means to create a “strong Republic.”

The press office said in a similar statement on Thursday that President Michel Suleiman made a similar call to the LF chief the day before to praise the program’s “clear vision for a strong Republic.”

Geagea announced on Wednesday his presidential program that focused on restoring the authority of the state against the proliferation of weapons during a time of regional unrest.

The LF chief also called for a state monopoly on the use of force, including confronting Israel.

He is the only politician to have officially announced his candidacy for the polls, which are first scheduled to be held on April 23.

Speaker Nabih Berri called on MPs to meet next Wednesday, although the election is not expected to be an easy process amid a lack of agreement on a consensual candidate.

Suleiman’s six-year tenure ends on May 25.

Speaker Nabih Berri voiced his skepticism that the parliamentary session to elect a president will be held, saying that the conditions to ensure its success are “not ripe yet,” reported As Safir newspaper on Friday.

He remarked: “The conditions may not be ripe at the moment, but that does not mean that they will not be available before next Wednesday.”

The speaker had called parliament to convene on April 23 to elect a president.

Asked if head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri will attend the session, Berri replied: “I hope so and that he would remain in Lebanon permanently.”

Media reports had linked a recent visit by Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi to Saudi Arabia to Hariri’s return to Lebanon to attend the presidential elections session.

Commenting on the session, Berri said that he will kick it off once the quorum of two-thirds of lawmakers is met and then the election process could get underway.

“If a president is elected during this first round, then the elections would be complete, otherwise a second or third round may be held,” he explained.

In addition, he revealed that he will chair a meeting for his Development and Liberation bloc on Tuesday in order to discuss the presidential elections and agree on a candidate, said al-Joumhouria newspaper.

“The March 8 camp only has one candidate and that is Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun. The March 14 alliance on the other hand has several candidates,” he remarked.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea of the March 14 alliance is so far the only official to submit his candidacy.

He presented his presidential program on Wednesday.

Media reports had said on Thursday that Kataeb Party chief Amin Gemayel, also of the March 14 camp, will announce his nomination before the end of the week.

The March 8 camp has not yet announced its candidate, but Aoun has reportedly informed his ally Hizbullah that he is prepared to take the post if there was consensus on him.

Aoun has allegedly sent similar messages to Hariri, who leads the March 14 camp.

Berri has said that any candidate must secure two-thirds of votes to win in the first round of elections and half-plus-one or 65 votes of the 128-member parliament to win in the second round.

President Michel Suleiman has telephoned Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to congratulate him on the announcement of his candidacy for the presidential elections and his platform, the LF chief’s press office said Thursday.

The terse statement said the phone conversation between Suleiman and Geagea took place on Wednesday night.

“Suleiman congratulated him on the announcement of his candidacy for the presidency and his presidential program, and lauded … its clear vision for a strong Republic,” it said.

Geagea announced on Wednesday his presidential program that focused on restoring the authority of the state against the proliferation of weapons during a time of regional unrest.

The LF chief also called for a state monopoly on the use of force, including confronting Israel.

He is the sole politician to have officially announced his candidacy for the polls, whose first round is scheduled to be held on April 23.

Speaker Nabih Berri called on MPs to meet next Wednesday, although the election is not expected to be a easy process amid a lack of agreement on a consensual candidate.

President Michel Suleiman’s six-year tenure ends on May 25.

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Geagea Announces Presidential Program, Stresses Need to Control

Proliferation of Arms

• 24 hours agoGeagea: I look forward legitimate presidential elections that pave the way for Lebanon’s salvation.
• 24 hours agoGeagea: The state alone is responsible for defending the country.
• 24 hours agoGeagea stressed the need to demarcate the border with Syria and resolve the case of the Shebaa Farms and Kfarshouba Hills.
• 24 hours agoGeagea voiced his commitment to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and U.N. resolution.
• 24 hours agoGeagea: Lebanon must adhere to its Arab and international commitments.
• 24 hours agoGeagea on Palestinian-Israeli conflict: We reject Palestinian refugees’ naturalization in Lebanon under any excuse.
• 24 hours agoGeagea on Syrian crisis: A solution to the conflict should ensure that Syrian refugees return to their homeland.
• 24 hours agoGeagea on regional developments: I pledge my support for the Arab Spring, despite its shortcomings and instances during which it steered away from its goals.
• 24 hours agoGeagea: I will stand against extremism in the Arab world.
• 24 hours agoGeagea on women’s rights: I vow to revise all laws that tackle this issue.
• 24 hours agoGeagea proposed the establishment of a ministry to tackle expatriate affairs.
• 24 hours agoGeagea pledged to improve the agriculture sector and introduce green spaces in Lebanon.
• 24 hours agoGeagea: I will ensure that customs laws will be properly implemented at all border-crossings, even if new laws have to be put in place to this end.
• 24 hours agoGeagea stressed the need for the proper control of land, air, and water border-crossings.
• 24 hours agoGeagea: Proper functioning of the various state institutions can be achieved through combating corruption.
• 24 hours agoGeagea on decentralization: It should be implemented as stipulated in the Taef Accord and as adopted by various countries around the world.
• YesterdayGeagea suggested reopening various airports in Lebanon, as well as developing Lebanese ports.
• YesterdayGeagea: Proper investments can place Lebanon on the global tourism map.
• YesterdayGeagea on tourism: We have reaped so little of what this sector can yield for Lebanon.
• YesterdayGeagea on oil and gas wealth: Their discovery can act both as a blessing and a curse. I seek to preserve this wealth through a transparent approach.
• YesterdayGeagea demanded that reform be introduced in the electricity and telecommunications sectors.
• YesterdayGeagea: Investments should be made in the infrastructure and the role of regulatory authorities should be reactivated.
• YesterdayGeagea stressed the need for economic reform, revitalizing growth, cutting down on unemployment, reducing the public debt, and limiting youth immigration.
• YesterdayGeagea on Lebanon’s economy: The economy cannot be stabilized without restoring faith in the state.
• YesterdayGeagea: Is is acceptable that no substantial leads were achieved in crimes committed against March 14 figures?
• YesterdayGeagea on state security agencies: Despite the independence in 2005, these apparatuses are still plagued by the remains of Syrian hegemony in Lebanon.
• YesterdayGeagea on capital punishment: Lebanon should work on eliminating the death penalty in accordance with U.N. principles.
• YesterdayGeagea pledged that if he is elected president that he will tackle the state of prisons in Lebanon.
• YesterdayGeagea: I will not compromise in tackling the corruption at the justice system.
• YesterdayGeagea: The problems in the justice system have led the people to lose faith in it.
• YesterdayGeagea: The problems in the justice system have impacted the social and economic situation in Lebanon.
• YesterdayGeagea: Tackling all these issues lies in reforming the justice system.
• YesterdayGeagea: We seek a state that preserves the people’s rights and dignity and which offers its youths a future.
• YesterdayGeagea on spread of arms in Lebanon: No country in the world would accept that its authority would be subject to armed groups that exist outside of the state.
• YesterdayGeagea: There will be no compromise in dealing with the spread of arms.
• YesterdayGeagea called for adopting a fair parliamentary electoral law once the presidential elections are over.
• YesterdayGeagea stressed the importance of adhering to the Baabda Declaration and preventing the spread of regional conflicts to Lebanon.
• YesterdayGeagea: There is no room for centrism, which has only yielded compromises to accommodate the status quo.
• YesterdayGeagea: The current phase we are passing through does not tolerate semi-solutions.
• YesterdayGeagea: The state has the proper means to regain its dignity.
• YesterdayGeagea: The greatest challenge I want to face in running for president lies in implementing the constitution and restoring the state’s authority.
• YesterdayGeagea: The Lebanese entity cannot support more burdens that weaken the state.
• YesterdayGeagea: The period of Syrian hegemony weakened the position of the presidency.
• YesterdayLF chief Samir Geagea while announcing his presidential program: The position of the presidency, despite all that has been said since the Taef Accord, is capable of wielding power and steering Lebanon in the right direction.