Day by day, the country is becoming increasingly immersed in the atmosphere of presidential elections. The upcoming election, for which all political forces have activated their engines behind the scenes and in public, will impose a rising tempo on the local scene, gaining full public and political attention by early September when the parliament transforms into an electoral body. However, up to that date, the issues that will impact the outcome of the anticipated elections and the identity of the future president will be numerous and closely monitored, ranging from the negotiations over maritime borders between Lebanon and Israel to the Vienna nuclear talks, as well as the Saudi-Iranian dialogue. Lebanon has historically linked its internal obligations to developments in the region and the world.
Communications are intensifying: While the likelihood of forming a government is diminishing steadily and is almost at zero, there is great concern that this failure may also lead to a presidential deadlock, which Lebanon and its hungry people will bear the consequences of. This situation signals a potential constitutional debate over the powers of the caretaker government amid the presidential vacancy. For its part, informed political sources indicate that the communications aimed at shaping the picture of the presidential elections will intensify in the coming days. Following the rapprochement between Klemensau and the southern suburbs, communication with the deputies opposing the duality of the presidency – Hezbollah will take on new dimensions, driven by the Lebanese Forces who are determined to engage with all opponents, whether they are reformists, independents, or party members, to unify ranks and prevent the March 8 candidate from reaching Baabda. These communications will even include the Choueifat area, which rejects being considered in the opposing camp, especially since Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt has announced discrepancies with Hezbollah.
This consultative coordination movement will also occur within the March 8 alliance. Until now, the party has not finalized its position or its candidate's name, and this ambiguity has once again stirred disagreements between both Deputy Gibran Bassil, head of the Free Patriotic Movement, and Suleiman Frangieh, head of the Marada Movement, both of whom aspire to the presidency and seek the suburbs' support for their nominations.
Not far from that, while awaiting the stance of Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Raï regarding internal obligations in his sermon tomorrow, Deputy Bassil visited Diman today where he was received by the patriarch. Bassil's statements and his insistence on supporting the president with effective representation seem to sideline Frangieh.
