Lebanese Forces Party leader Samir Geagea affirmed that "the solution to get out of the current situation is not economic but political, because the essence of the problem is purely political. All the economic crises we are witnessing are merely the symptoms of the real crisis. Therefore, any possible economic solutions cannot yield any results unless the state regains its sovereignty, authority, and prestige, and a fundamental change occurs in the management of the state. The gateway for all this is the presidential elections. From this perspective, our position rejects any presidential candidate from the opposing camp or any symbolic candidate who cannot perform the actual role of the president as required."
Geagea's remarks came during the second annual retreat of the Lebanese Forces Center in Bsharri, which was held at the party's headquarters in Maarab. Geagea stressed that "the presidency has specific qualifications that should be met by the person who reaches its position. Therefore, we must clearly and accurately distinguish between the personal attributes that some are trying to deceive people with, for example, by saying someone is a decent, honest, and transparent person. While this is good, a large number of Lebanese share these attributes, and this does not qualify them all to be presidents. These attributes are important and essential, but the most crucial qualities for any president are to be decisive, courageous, firm, and determined to assert the state's authority and restore its lost prestige."
He explained that "the presidential battle is local, although there are those who insist on linking it to regional and international developments. The solution is in the hands of the 128 deputies who can approach the parliament today or tomorrow and elect a president. In this case, the outside cannot influence matters at all. However, there are those who aspire to link the presidential election file to external factors for their personal and factional interests that are not in the national interest."
He mentioned that "we continue to endorse Michel Moawad for the time being, but we are open to consultations with opposing forces on any alternative name that meets the required qualifications and can unify the opposition and receive 62, 63, 64, or 65 votes. Otherwise, shifting from one candidate to another while maintaining the same number of votes is a process of burning names that we will never engage in."