Lebanese Forces Party leader Sami Gemayel called for the accountability of everyone who has brought the country to its current state, including the political system, Hezbollah, and the governance of the Central Bank, starting with parliamentary elections. In an interview on the "Vox Populi" program via "Voice of Beirut International" and "LBCI", he emphasized that "Lebanon is a small country that needs individuals of will to rise up, and today we have the opportunity to translate this will into action during the elections, which depends on citizens voting correctly."
He stressed that "the sacrifice required of us in these elections is minimal compared to the interests of the country," urging everyone to rise above petty calculations and make concessions to unify lists, confirming that "the Kataeb has made many concessions for this purpose." He pointed out that "through the parliamentary elections, we want to withdraw legitimacy from Hezbollah" and invited "party leaders to debate every issue in front of the people."
He confirmed that "they will not participate in any government controlled by Hezbollah, nor will the Kataeb elect a president from March 8 or an ally of Hezbollah." He also noted that "the strength of the Kataeb guarantees the principles we've committed to in the parliament, and people know that we do not compromise regardless of the costs and sacrifices."
Gemayel recalled that "when we warned of an economic collapse since 2016, we relied on reports from the World Bank, economic indicators, and annual public finance deficit figures," highlighting that "everyone could see where we were heading, except the ruling system, which accused us of populism and today we are paying a heavy price." He asserted that "there is a tripartite responsibility: the political system that created the state’s deficit, Hezbollah which isolated Lebanon and subjected it to sanctions, and thirdly, the monetary policy pursued by the Central Bank."
He regarded the central bank's governance as responsible, stating that "there must be an independent judiciary to oversee the Central Bank's operations and hold them accountable," indicating that "the political class extended the mandate of Riad Salameh in a concerted and joint manner by consensus." He suggested that "the Governor of the Central Bank should be relieved of his position as he is pursued internationally and domestically and must be held accountable for the wrong policies; there is a system that renewed his term and it must also bear responsibility for its actions."
He noted the "lack of trust in the judiciary due to selectivity," pointing out that "we can be against Riad Salameh and against the performance of Ghada Aoun at the same time.” He inquired: "Why has the investigation into the port explosion stopped?" attributing this to interference in judicial operations where some prevent a judge from performing his duties, while the entire judicial body stood by Tarek Bitar.
Regarding a recent incident, he remarked, "Maktab Exchange has a 60-year history and is credible worldwide," stating, "We did not understand what happened and no decision was issued against anyone," deeming the situation as "selective treatment." He added, "It is uncommon for politicians to adopt a judge's work."
Gemayel continued: "I support pursuing any violation of the law and any crime committed by the Governor of the Central Bank or any financial sector official, and to review all transactions that occurred. If there was political will, why not expose the names involved in these transactions?" He viewed the situation as "living in a jungle," where "4 million Lebanese are prevented from transferring their money abroad, while only a small percentage are allowed to do so," describing it as "a crime."
He remarked, "The middle class is now impoverished, and during my rounds in Metn, I see despair in people's eyes who resort to candles as they cannot afford heating oil." He expressed concern that "the actions of Judge Ghada Aoun may aim at extortion," stressing that "what she is doing is correct from one angle, but from another, we fear selectivity," asserting that "a file of this magnitude should be handled by trustworthy individuals."
He insisted that "the lives of people should not be manipulated," highlighting that "Michel Maktab has died of despair, and the Maktab institution has operated in the market for 60 years without any issue." He criticized the "collusion surrounding the capital control file, which leaves the financial topic in ambiguity, resulting in financial chaos," stating that "the Governor of the Central Bank and the system covering him have left matters in chaos to allow selectivity in transfers and keep things murky because those in power benefit from this ambiguity."
He added: "The capital control law draft isn't framed within a rescue vision; we have worked on a rescue plan that we will present to people, and there is an urgent need to restructure banks." He stressed that "banks bear significant responsibility; in 2018, I visited Joseph Torbey, then president of the banks association, and told him that banks bear a huge responsibility, and if they continue funding the state while it squanders public money, they jeopardize depositors' funds."
He warned that "the collapse will be threefold: state, banking sector, and the people, and they are responsible for stopping the state's financing." He recalled that "the response was that the Americans would not allow the Lebanese state to collapse," reminding that "when we warned about the lira's collapse, we were accused of populism while they told us the state and lira were fine. Everyone engaged in bargaining, and the settlement cemented Hezbollah’s control over the state."
He argued that "everyone was bargaining," explaining that "there was an integrated system that agreed among themselves in 2016 to share power instead of fighting, sidelining ten years of conflict," revealing that "this sharing occurred under Hezbollah's framework as they decided to elect Hezbollah's candidate for the presidency."
He stated, "This settlement solidified Hezbollah's arrival at the helm of the state, and Hezbollah seized the presidency by bringing its candidate into power. Under this settlement, Hezbollah's candidate came to power, and then an electoral law was approved, which we knew would give Hezbollah a majority, where everyone knows that proportionality applies to all Lebanese regions except Hezbollah's areas."
He emphasized that "as Kataeb, we rejected this entire course and stood against it alone, and on October 17, 2019, the Lebanese people saw that what happened in Lebanon was a crime against them and rose up against this reality." He reaffirmed that "we are entrusted with the principles we have defended and committed ourselves to the Lebanese people that the strength of the Kataeb guarantees the principles we've promised in the parliament, and we do not compromise despite the lures and threats we are subjected to."
In response to a question, he stated: "When Amin Gemayel handed over the presidency to Michel Aoun, he was a symbol of sovereignty and confrontation, coming from Bashir Gemayel's school, not a symbol of treason." He noted that "General Aoun from 1990 to 2005 was a symbol of confrontation and struggle against Hezbollah's weapon and against Syrian occupation; however, in 2016, Michel Aoun was Hezbollah's candidate for the presidency, defending May 7 and the existence of arms."
Gemayel indicated that "we want to live in a country like in Europe," noting that "Lebanon needs individuals with a sincere vision," stressing that "the elections are a chance to translate this by electing credible, competent young men and women to lead us to a new place." He clarified that "we do not claim that the country will change after the elections, but we will have a group fighting in the parliament to move the country to a better place, though it depends on citizens voting correctly."
He urged "the election of capable individuals who will start working on economic files, reestablishing the economy, and reviving every sector of the state from education to the environment." He asserted that "if we can secure a strong presence in the parliament as reformists, we can form a government capable of initiating a renaissance through specialists." He highlighted that "the solutions are clear and fast, and the Kataeb's electoral project proposes many practical steps that can save the country."
He said: "We have decided to create an independent political force in the parliament, which could include 20 or 30 deputies we can rely on to establish a new political life in Lebanon. The current system operates in interconnected solidarity; the LF is allied with the PSP, the PSP with Berri, Berri with Hezbollah, and Hezbollah with the Free Patriotic Movement."
He reminded that "the opposition in 2018 consisted of 4 MPs: myself, Nadim Gemayel, Elias Hankash, and Paula Yacoubian; today we hope the elections will bring 20 deputies or more." He noted that "in the parliament, the opposition will form a single bloc to confront the cartel of the political system that humiliates people, violates laws, and divides the country’s wealth," confirming that "this method has destroyed Lebanon, depleted our funds, and allowed Hezbollah to control decision-making in the country."
He asserted that "the Kataeb Party is not alone; it has partners, and we are creating an alliance outside the system." In response to a question, he stated: "The LF formed a government with Hezbollah and participated in the presidential settlement; today we are trying to create an alliance outside the system within the parliament, where we might meet with the LF or the PSP on certain files and differ on others, and we will work in the parliament with those who do things right."
He confirmed that "the Kataeb has not and will not elect Berri as the next Speaker." He emphasized that "we will have the majority to elect a sovereign president," considering that "the presidential vacuum has cost significantly less than the two years that followed." He added: "The period of vacuum was the shortest period of waste and expenditure from reserves."
He viewed that "when Hezbollah exerted its control over legitimacy, the Lebanese state became Hezbollah, and the outside world no longer distinguishes between the two; through the elections, we want to strip it of this legitimacy," asserting: "I warned Saad Hariri and Samir Geagea that they were making a mistake."
He explained that "Gibran Bassil was clear that he would not come to the center, and his position regarding Hezbollah would not change; his alliances in the region would not change, which he told me explicitly, and everyone knew this when they voted for Michel Aoun as president." He added: "When Aoun ran, this was his position; this is what Bassil told me. We raised the issue in the Kataeb political bureau and made the choice not to vote for Aoun for the presidency, and we paid the price for our political decision and assumed our responsibility."
He affirmed that "the time has come to transition from managing the state from a militia mentality we inherited from the war to state men who will take us to a better place, for the militia mentality does not consider people's interests but rather its own." He stated: "I do not look to the Kataeb bloc but to a parliamentary bloc that the Kataeb is part of, which can remove the state from the militia logic in managing the country; the time has come to transition Lebanon to a new phase and to lift the Lebanese people out of catastrophe, which requires bringing in people who love the Lebanese people, as those currently in power despise them."
He clarified: "In the days of occupation, we were alongside the people; during assassinations, on March 14 and October 17, we were with the people," stressing that "we will not abandon the country, we will not surrender, and we will defend the Lebanese people." He noted that "Hezbollah believes the state's mission is to protect the resistance rather than the other way around; we want to protect Lebanon."
He added: "Our goal was protecting Lebanon together through the state and the army, not through a parallel state and army." He affirmed: "The army has red lines, which is maintaining security in Lebanon, and this does not require a political decision; therefore, it resisted at Tayouneh and played the biggest role." He stated: "I trust the army and believe it can protect the Lebanese."
He called for "the army to be prioritized," noting that "we must all rally around it; constitutional institutions must provide full support to the army, which requires a state and men of state, as weakening the army means weakening the state."
Regarding the Tayouneh incident, he explained that "there is certainly an area that has been attacked, where some were sitting at home and were attacked, and the Lebanese army was the main defender," clarifying that "the lesson is that when there is a strong state and an army with high morale, it protects all Lebanese."
He continued: "We committed to voting for Dr. Samir Geagea in every session to elect a president, but disagreement arose due to the presidential settlement, which we rejected and the LF accepted. The alliance between the LF and the FPM lasted for three years. We completely separated our paths from the system and this mentality a long time ago, and we hope that Dr. Geagea will disconnect from the entire network, as he is still allied with the PSP and still considers Berri a guarantee."
He stated: "The political system has failed and needs reevaluation; decentralization is sufficient, and we proposed a decentralization law; many sessions were held in a sub-committee, and it has been studied and this proposal is enough to ease people's burdens." He pointed out that "to achieve decentralization, we need a state, while Hezbollah controls the state, and it is governed by both the state and a militia that control its decisions and prevent the implementation of decentralization, which is the most important reform that takes the patronage system from power."
He clarified that "the subcommittee that discussed decentralization included representatives from all parties, and there remain 4 or 5 points unresolved."
Regarding electoral alliances, Gemayel stated: "Soon the list for northern Metn will be announced, and we are finalizing it; we are trying to create a coalition between independent figures and those from the revolution alongside the Kataeb to present a coherent effort, and we are seeking to offer competencies and open the door to cooperation with all personalities in Metn."
He explained that "the problem in Baabda is not political, and efforts are ongoing," noting that "Khalil Helou is a symbol of sovereignty and statehood in the country, coming from the military institution, while Michel Helou is a young man associated with a friendly party, which is the National Bloc, in contact with a large youth generation." He added: "I am pushing for a solution to reach an agreement and call for not giving up, as forming a united list in Baabda is very important."
He emphasized that "each team must make some concessions to increase people's hope in the upcoming parliament and achieve our dreams more," pointing out that "the sacrifice required today is minimal compared to the interests of the country in the period following the elections." He called for "rising above small calculations and doing everything necessary to unify the lists," adding: "As Kataeb, we have sacrificed our party interests because the Kataeb serves Lebanon."
Concerning Batroun, he stated: "We withdrew a party candidate and supported Majd Harb, who has high competence and is close to the people; he has his value and we do not evaluate him based on his father's performance, and we made this decision because the interest of the battle requires uniting efforts with Majd Harb." He noted that "for 30 years we have not won in the Batroun battle, and through the alliance and agreement with Majd Harb, we hope to achieve a victory for the Kataeb members fighting this battle as if Majd Harb is Kataeb."
In response to a question, he stated, "Nadim Gemayel and I are in complete agreement; I hear some discontent, and I tell them that Nadim Gemayel is the last person who would bargain against Lebanon or its 10,452 square kilometers or unity; he is the cleanest person on a moral level." He added: "Nadim Gemayel, like all Lebanese youth, is experiencing the same internal struggle as every young person, and we are human; we live this struggle every day and work with flesh and blood; we cannot spend money recklessly."
He concluded: "In the end, the national interest prevailed over Nadim Gemayel's duties towards the country, his father, his family, and all sacrifices, and he decided to fight because the country needs people like him and us."
He mentioned that "after the 2018 elections, we worked correctly and told the truth, losing the elections because we were alone while the system lied, and we were like a 'death announcement paper,' warning about the lira collapse. They thought we were hallucinating, but after the lira's collapse and Hezbollah's control, people today say that we were right." He added: "We will not participate in a government controlled by Hezbollah; the Kataeb does not twist or turn, and we had the veto right in the last government we participated in; when they passed files without our consent, we resigned. Everything depends on the election results and the balance within the parliament; we will not elect a president from March 8, any ally of Hezbollah."
In response to his candidacy for the presidency, he said: "As long as Hezbollah controls the country, I will not be a presidential candidate because I will not bargain with Hezbollah to be president." He affirmed: "We want to fight to rescue the Lebanese people from the nightmare they are living in, which requires individuals willing to engage in this struggle, and we have proven we can fight this battle, having done so when we were 4 deputies, and we will be able in the next parliament to restore public finances and put a rescue program across all levels."
He called on party leaders to "hold a public debate before the parliamentary elections so we can discuss everything in front of the people and clarify the picture," stressing the need for "the courage to be humble and the boldness to face others on projects related to education, industry, finance, and the economy, as it seems they don't understand finance and economics given the budgets they voted on."
