The head of the Lebanese Kataeb Party, Sami Gemayel, called for "removing all barriers around Parliament because the revolutionaries will enter the parliamentary council," directing a plea to all opposition MPs for unity in defense of Lebanon's sovereignty and accountability. As a Kataeb Party, he pledged to "do everything to be a unifying element, and we will not set any conditions other than the constants which are defending sovereignty, confronting Hezbollah's grip on the country, rejecting any compromise over the Lebanese people's funds, and any talk about forgiving the past."
He viewed the current situation as a completely new scene, stating that "they lost the majority and the ability to ally with each other, and in this difficult phase, we must work together to save the people and defend them." Gemayel's remarks came during a public meeting held at the central Kataeb House in Sassine, attended by former president Amin Gemayel and his wife, elected Kataeb MPs Elias Hankach, Nadim Gemayel, and Salim El-Sayegh, along with various party members and supporters.
Gemayel questioned, "Who said nothing has changed? We heard a lot of talk, and they said there was no need for elections because they would return to themselves, and Hezbollah would remain in control of the council. But no, everything has changed; Hezbollah lost the majority, and dozens of new opposition faces outside the establishment entered the council, this is what we promised, and this is what happened." He also saluted the Kataeb supporters in the south who demonstrated that "it is not true that we have no voice and that we are a forgotten currency; they overthrew Asaad Hariri and the Syrian National Party."
He dedicated "our work and struggle to all the victims of the Beirut port explosion, foremost among them the late Secretary-General of the Kataeb party, Nizar Najarian, Joe Akiki, Joe Andoun, Tony Barake, and all the victims." He added, "We dedicate our struggle to the six thousand martyrs of the Kataeb, led by President Bachir Gemayel, Pierre Gemayel, and Antoine Ghanem, and we dedicate our efforts and struggles to the martyrs of the Cedar Revolution who gave their lives for us; today they entered the council through us and through all the youth who emerged from the revolution."
He emphasized that "what has been achieved is Hezbollah's loss of the majority and the formation of a parliamentary bloc or meeting or gathering outside the system, and this has happened. Our allies, who believe in Lebanon's sovereignty, accountability, change, and reform, are numerous, and today we are facing a new phase while those who were in power sit counting how many votes Nabih Berri will get in the presidency of the council."
He asked, "Who would have thought they would count the majority and how many votes they received? Who thought that the symbols of the Syrian regime would fall so dramatically?" He stressed that the people have proven to be a lively force ready for accountability and capable of changing the equation, indicating that "now is the time to work and continue the struggle as if it is an election period to accompany the change in the council alongside our deputies and friends to restore the country because we are heading towards major battles."
He affirmed that "decentralization is our first goal to work on; there is a law that we want to table and we demand a vote on it because it is more urgent than ever, as well as electronic voting which has been put aside to hold MPs accountable for their performance in the council so that no one escapes accountability, and we will pass the law we presented in 2018 regarding the abolition of former MPs' salaries for life."
Gemayel concluded: "We are here and will continue with the young fighters who have entered the council, their shoulders are broad and they carry the same constants, alongside everyone who resembles us. We promise you that we will fight this battle with all our strength because we are facing difficult days that require shoulders, our shoulders are strong and broad, and we will not fear anyone. We will enter the council with all our strength and struggle to defend the Lebanese people."
Kataeb Vice President and elected MP Salim El-Sayegh commented: "The whole party rallied because they knew the difficulty of the battle, which is that we face the system in its backyard, which we said has brought the curse upon Lebanon from Kesrouan; and from Kesrouan we will return and overthrow it." He added, "I promise that I will not forget why I am here and what mandate the people gave me, with thousands of votes believing that there is a name on this list that will change something in this country."
El-Sayegh asserted, "We will not compromise on weapons to gain power," stressing that "we will confront the takeover of Lebanon. We have not changed; that is why we entered the council." He continued: "We will not accept anything less than holding every perpetrator accountable and returning to the rule of law to restore trust so that the diaspora returns and invests in its country."
Elected MP Nadim Gemayel thanked the voters for their loyalty during the elections and confirmed, "We enter the council to restore the dignity and justice of the people of Beirut and the martyrs of the port; it is impossible to build a nation and a state of institutions if there is no law and justice, and this is the first thing we will work on."
He stated: "They used to say if Lebanon is well, the Kataeb is well; perhaps in the last elections we had three MPs, but Lebanon was not all well. The Kataeb is rising today, and after the Kataeb rises, Lebanon will rise again."
Gemayel affirmed that "the project that was broken is Hezbollah's project and weapon; its regional project that believed it raised the Iranian flag over four capitals has now been proven false; the Iranian flag will not be raised, and Beirut remains Lebanese." Elected MP Elias Hankach remarked that "you should be proud, especially in Metn, that you defended and confronted the lies with the truth and faced the money that was spent; you confronted the lies with struggle, we did not compromise and will not compromise."
Elected MP Adib Abd al-Masih congratulated the Kataeb and change forces "who shook the system on May 15," and emphasized that "in cooperation with all the change forces, I will continue working to confront corruption and the weapon."
