Suleiman Franjieh, the head of the Marada Movement and former minister, may be the least represented at the Christian parliamentary level, but he remains the most composed amid the intensifying presidential election stakes. This calmness, however, conceals a smoldering ember that could potentially incinerate all candidates proposed outside the powerful club. What is the secret behind Franjieh's tranquility?
Informed sources suggest that Franjieh's calm is more akin to resignation to the impossibility of being elected president to succeed Michel Aoun, and it is certainly not a calm before the storm. The presidential confrontation within the 8 March forces is not only against the opposing camp that resists the election of a president from the axis of resistance. Moreover, the lines of communication do not encompass all parties within Franjieh’s affiliated group.
Additionally, those close to Franjieh express discontent with Hezbollah, which supported the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, Gebran Bassil, during the parliamentary elections at the expense of other allies. They currently refuse to pressure Bassil to facilitate the presidential election and support Franjieh. They believe that Bassil is taking Franjieh hostage, but the primary blame falls on Hezbollah, which could, if it wanted, put an end to this farce.
