It has become certain that there is no way to achieve a positive resolution to any of the internal issues, whether related to the economy, finance, the people's livelihoods, or the presidential file, which has recently experienced what resembles an external push to expedite the election of a president for the republic. Suddenly and without prior warning, the "five-member committee" sprang into action, but failed to advance this file even a single step. "Al-Jumhuriya" inquired about what is expected from the "five-member committee," and surprisingly, those involved do not have an answer beyond saying: "Nothing on the horizon." Some are even more blunt, stating they do not understand why the "five-member committee" took action at this time and whether the committee will meet at the level of foreign ministers, as nothing indicates such a meeting will occur. Even if the foreign ministers of the "five-member committee" convene, what more could they offer than to reiterate their call for the Lebanese to consider the interest of their country and expedite the election of their president, a point that ambassadors in the committee reaffirmed during their recent engagements?
According to information from "Al-Jumhuriya" from sources directly involved in the "five-member committee" activities, since the last engagement of the ambassadors of the "five-member committee," all presidential communication lines are currently cut off, both directly and indirectly, except for some envoys and ambassadors who issue reminders of what they call "Lebanon's need to elect a president at this stage."
In this context, it has become confirmed among responsible political levels that there are no serious indications regarding the possibility of advancing the presidential file in the foreseeable future. As one senior official told "Al-Jumhuriya," this suggests a possibly prolonged stagnation in the existing open-ended negativity, which is open to more negative possibilities. The reasons for this, according to the same senior official, are threefold: first, the complexities within the country and the political components deciding not to agree on a president; second, the "five-member committee," whether it meets or not, has no authority to impose a president on the Lebanese, and this committee has repeatedly emphasized through its calls for Lebanese consensus, which means it is advocating for an impossible consensus. The third and perhaps most dangerous matter is that developments in the region and the ongoing conflicts from Gaza to Lebanon have overtaken us, leading to the internal files, primarily the presidential file, becoming secondary compared to the ongoing transformations in the region and the accumulating risks therein.
