It is essential to stop reading the results, along with counting the preferential votes for this or that candidate, at which point all elected officials will be equal representatives of the nation and will enter the parliament as such. They will need to legislate laws that help put an end to the ongoing collapse, in addition to the upcoming electoral and constitutional obligations awaiting them. The stance of traditional political parties, which have been involved in parliamentary work for years, is known as well as their performance. Therefore, attention turns to the reformist forces, with the question: Will they unify? Will they engage with parties that share some issues?
The first step was taken yesterday evening with a meeting of 14 deputies from the "Revolution and Change" movement in one of Beirut’s hotels to form a bloc, discuss the proposed issues, and determine their options. Conversely, a reformist parliamentary source told "Akhbar Al-Yawm" agency that Hezbollah's approach has not changed; it confronted March 14 with iron and fire, and October 17 with violence and force. After the elections, Hezbollah emerged through Deputy Mohammad Raad, threatening the winners to form a national unity government or face civil war.
The source added: "We are accustomed to this method, which has not and will not change. However, we are facing a very significant transformation, which is the will of the people who refused to submit to the status quo. Therefore, sovereign and reformist forces must unite in declaring their rejection of a national unity government. In other words, the foundation today is that these elected forces do not submit or find common ground to create communication channels among themselves to achieve what is needed.” He stated that unity in stance is not enough; there must also be unity in ranks.
The source warned: "If these forces do not unify, they will be contained. This has already begun with threats from Hezbollah and temptations from President Nabih Berri, who called for dialogue to undermine the dynamics generated by the elections, in addition to remarks from the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, Deputy Gibran Bassil, who clearly stated, ‘Bye-bye technocrat government,’ in order to sit at the ministerial table."
In response to a question, the source urged all forces to take a clear stance starting from the election requirement of the President of the Council and then tasking the Prime Minister, by establishing criteria based on the constitution, regardless of the methods that the other party may employ. The goal should be to avoid capitulation, and it is also important that there is a new will that differs from all previous practices. He concluded: "The people have spoken; it remains for the elected forces to translate this under the parliament’s dome!"
