Sources from the "Lebanon Strong" bloc revealed that the discussion during the bloc’s meeting yesterday, regarding the stance it will take in the presidential election session on Thursday, concluded with the decision to continue adopting the option of a white paper. This is despite many members of the bloc leaning towards naming a candidate from its ranks, as it is inappropriate to emphasize the election of a president while the "Lebanon Strong" bloc, which is significant in terms of parliamentary, political, and popular weight, opts for a white paper.
The sources indicated that the bloc’s decision to vote with a white paper came after information leaked in the past two days suggesting a potential abandonment of this option in favor of naming a possible presidential candidate. This decision is attributed to three reasons.
First, the bloc's leader seeks to avoid naming any of its members or from the "Free Patriotic Movement" for the presidency, so as not to create a serious competitor for himself, given that more than one competitor with considerable weight and influence has emerged, such as Ibrahim Kanaan, the head of the parliamentary finance committee, or the current deputy Alain Aoun, both of whom have a real desire to run and refuse to support the candidacy of any individual from outside the bloc or the movement.
The second reason is to maintain the bloc's alliance with "Hezbollah" without disrupting this important partnership in such a significant electoral context. It is believed that voting singly for any candidate would weaken the positions and influence of this dual alliance against its adversaries.
The third reason, according to the mentioned sources, is to wait for more time until the positions and chances of all presidential candidates become clearer, while keeping alive the hope for the candidacy of the bloc leader, Deputy Gebran Bassil. This hope remains due to ongoing attempts to convince "Hezbollah" to support this candidacy, especially if circumstances change and local and external obstacles that hinder Bassil's presidential candidacy are removed.
