The coming weeks are likely to bring political heat, especially concerning the presidential election, with the situation resembling a life-or-death battle. Each faction considers that the arrival of a president from its ranks guarantees victory under the banner: "This is the president we want."
In any case, the qualities that the next president should embody are numerous. Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rahi desires a president who is sovereign, neutral, and consensual, while the opposition, spearheaded by Christian forces, seeks more extreme sovereign qualities. Samir Geagea, head of the Lebanese Forces Party, has set a new condition for the next president: that they be "salvational."
The atmosphere surrounding the Free Patriotic Movement indicates that, regarding this issue, the next president must have popular representation. They will likely support a candidate not far from their own views, even willing to fight for this, and are perhaps ready to enter into a compromise to achieve the desired outcome.
Thus, the unusual and unprecedented verbal attacks between the Mirna al-Shalouhi and the Serail suggest a serious escalation, slipping into political discourse that seems unworthy and inadequate compared to the crisis facing the Lebanese people, who are yearning for serious steps to ease their difficulties, even if it requires both sides to moderate their demands somewhat.
When sources from the Free Patriotic Movement were asked about the reasons for this open war, they responded that Mikati does not want to form a government, claiming he seeks to impose his conditions on President Michel Aoun and wishes to seize the presidential chair and its associated powers.
On the other hand, allies of Prime Minister Najib Mikati describe the attacks from the Free Patriotic Movement or Bassil as unjustified, noting that after losing the gamble on the government with a real defeat, he is looking to raise the stakes and resort to populism, in Aoun's balance, to mobilize his street and supporters, boosting his standing ahead of the presidential elections.
Furthermore, monitoring sources express their views on the ongoing match between Bassil and Mikati, stating: in the government battle, both are unforgiving opponents who will not concede under any circumstances or for any reason under the pretext of "calming the situation," and they will never allow the establishment of political and constitutional norms that cannot be accepted by Lebanon's practical political forces as major deadlines approach.
The same sources indicate that President Aoun, months before leaving the Baabda Palace, will not waste the last remaining card he has before departing. The era is engaged in its last battles, with his political team of constitutional and legal experts supporting him, proposing ideas regarding the end of the term and ways that allow Aoun and his political team to maintain a strong position after the fall of 2022. The most prominent idea is that the President of the Republic does not hand over his constitutional powers to a void or to an appointed president, and based on this, it will be decided: to be or not to be!
