In response to the statements made by Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri in the media, Lebanese Forces party leader Samir Geagea said: "Mr. President and dear friend, 'calm down'—as if the struggle in Lebanon today is between Christians on one side and Muslims on the other, and that Christians should come together to understand while Muslims are figuring out what they want to do. Mr. President, you are the most experienced and knowledgeable about the struggle in Lebanon; is it really between Muslims and Christians today, so Christians can know what they should do?"
He added: "We are heading towards presidential elections, and 'your state is the most negligent.' From the very beginning, you should have called for open sessions that wouldn't adjourn until parliamentary blocs reach an understanding, considering that the disagreement is not 'Christian-Muslim' but rather about two political projects. This is what you should have done instead of calling for token sessions, from which your deputies were among the first to withdraw before the second session."
Geagea reiterated that their candidate has been known from the outset: Michel Moawad, and that the current vacuum is a result of white ballots and fictitious names proposed by other parties. He called on Berri to hold an open session, saying: "You, Mr. President, must call for an open session until a president is elected, especially since there are now two candidates: Moawad and Sleiman Frangieh. Any 'smoke' to the public that Christians have not agreed is a distortion of reality, and we again assert that we will not allow you to bring a president through manipulation and 'trickery'; this is our natural right."
On another note, the Lebanese Forces leader confirmed that all members of the bloc will participate in the spiritual retreat called by Bkirki for Christian deputies, which will be held at Beit Anya in Harissa.
Regarding the summoning of Judge Ghada Aoun to Deputy Ziad Hawat, he emphasized that the latter will attend the session, stating, "I feel as if the world has ended. She is a judge with numerous complaints against her, and there have been calls to remove her from cases, but she insists on proceeding and is suing a deputy who represents a large segment of the Lebanese people and enjoys parliamentary immunity because he expressed his opinion."
As for the municipal and elective elections, Geagea stressed that this obligation is constitutional, and the 'Strong Republic' bloc will continue meetings and discussions to ensure it takes place on time, and that they will not allow another obligation to be disrupted after the presidential elections were delayed.
