The head of the Lebanese Democratic Party, Talal Arslan, announced his candidates for the upcoming parliamentary elections, confirming his candidacy for one of the Druze seats in Aley. In an interview with media personality Dani Haddad on Media Factory News, Arslan revealed that the party will nominate and support former Minister Marwan Kheir Edin in Hasbaya, former Minister Wiam Wahhab in Chouf, Tarek Dawood in West Bekaa, and Nasib al-Johari in Beirut II.
Arslan emphasized that "former Minister Saleh al-Gharib was not proposed as a candidate, contrary to what has been circulated. He is handling certain files assigned to him, and there is absolutely no truth to the claims that Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt imposed a 'veto' on his candidacy." He noted that "President Nabih Berri initiated a request for former Minister Marwan Kheir Edin to become a member of the Development and Liberation bloc, and he accepted this, which Jumblatt also blessed." He also pointed out that "Jumblatt has not committed to not nominating a second Druze candidate against us in Aley."
Arslan stated: "Our calculations confirm my victory for the Druze seat in Aley, and if any breakthrough is made by civil society, it will not come at our expense." Regarding his recent visit to Jumblatt away from the media, Arslan said: "I accepted Jumblatt's invitation to dinner, and we did not discuss the Druze seat in the Beirut II district; rather, the discussions encompassed general political matters and the internal Druze situation, where I stressed the importance of fortifying the Druze arena to spare it from the electoral heat we might witness in this election."
Arslan stressed that he did not carry any message from Jumblatt to Hezbollah, nor did he convey any message from the party to him, indicating that the relationship is good with the party "which I advise, as a brother, to avoid internal political corners." He added: "There are no issues in the relationship with the Free Patriotic Movement, and we are constantly in touch with the President and MP Gibran Bassil. My absence from the bloc's meetings has no substantial reason, as my attendance has always been linked to significant events."
He continued: "The alliance with the Free Patriotic Movement in Chouf and Aley is not yet decided, and we are making contacts, especially with the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, before naming our candidate in Baabda. However, our alliance with former Minister Hassan Murad in West Bekaa is solid, and we hope that the Free Patriotic Movement will be part of this alliance."
Arslan announced his support for the "megacenter," stating that it is "a necessity, and not adopting it has no justification as it facilitates the voting process and saves voters and candidates from exceeding the spending ceiling set by law." He said: "I do not like the way President Najib Mikati circumvents issues, and the budget approved by the government is a disaster. Minister Issam Sharaf El-Din, who represents us in the government, opposed it and has a vision for a non-traditional budget and a new outlook on the economic reality. He raised his voice, but no one is listening."
He added: "We need political reform, which is the entry point, and we must establish a strong central state instead of relying on other countries for protection. The slogan of the protesters on October 17 was innocent and justified, but it fell into the hands of political and diplomatic parties and became distorted." In response to a question, he said: "I have not transferred any money abroad, and corruption in Lebanon has become part of the system, which is why the system needs reform to eliminate it."
Arslan revealed that he recently visited Syria, "where I met President Bashar al-Assad, and former Minister Sleiman Frangieh also visited him. These visits stem from personal friendship that I take pride in, and I have not stopped visiting Damascus." While emphasizing that he will vote for President Berri for a new term after the parliamentary elections, he responded to a question regarding the presidential entitlement: "Frangieh is a brother, and Bassil is an ally, and I am not 'stuck' in the relationship between the two. It is too early to talk about the choice between presidential candidates, as more than one regional and international player influences this."
Arslan concluded his remarks about the historical political legacy he carries, saying: "The burden is heavy, but in the school of Emir Majid, we were raised on the principle that 'honesty prevails'."
