The country remains preoccupied with leaks from the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Gebran Bassil, which included messages directed toward various parties. Some specifically targeted the leader of the Marada Movement, Sleiman Frangieh, while others indirectly addressed Hezbollah and its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. Although he has not announced his candidacy for the presidency, he positioned his movement as an essential pathway for any candidate, explicitly stating, "There is no presidency without us."
Bassil is raising the stakes against his allies rather than his opponents, considering the internal battle between the components of the resistance axis. He is attempting to leverage the achievements he has accumulated over the past years, especially his significant Christian bloc, along with his special relationship with the party, to pressure Nasrallah into reconsidering support for Frangieh and looking towards a third option, which could potentially be Bassil himself.
However, informed sources indicated that "Bassil does not enjoy a consensus today, given his poor relations with the various parties, except for the party. Consequently, he has limited chances, which may lead him to consider another option, but not Frangieh. Additionally, he has positioned himself as an obligatory pathway to the presidency and is procrastinating to gain additional advantages and push for compliance with his terms."
The sources highlighted through "Anbaa" that "the country is in a timeout until a consensus is reached, and Bassil is maneuvering comfortably, especially as the passage of time works in his favor and increases pressure on everyone. This situation may lead parties to reach out to him regarding the presidency. Who knows, he may then propose himself as a presidential candidate, but this depends on several internal and external considerations."
