The President of the "Free Patriotic Movement," MP Gibran Bassil, stated that there are components that want a president for the republic who would separate Lebanon from the world, "just as they separated it from universal time by a 'homayuni' decision and turned the problem into a sectarian one to cover up the IMF report against them."
In a speech during the eighth national conference of the Movement, Bassil affirmed that he is a natural and logical candidate for the presidency since he is the head of a party and has the largest parliamentary bloc. He added, "I did not run to be a reason for the vacuum, and we made a significant concession for the larger solution."
He pointed out that any agreement that does not primarily consider Lebanon's interests would fail and not endure, stating, "Any agreement where the parties balance each other and share a concept of elevating Lebanon's interests above their own will last and withstand all assaults."
Regarding Maronite consensus, Bassil said, "We Maronites have always known how to agree negatively on rejection without agreeing positively. The time has come not just to say who and what we reject, but to specify who and what we accept, and to implement that. It's not enough to say we all reject so-and-so or anyone imposed on us. It's time to say who and what we agree upon."
Bassil revealed that "Hezbollah" has repeatedly confirmed to him that it is impossible to propose or accept a candidate if the "Movement" rejects him. He stated, "When I asked if 65 votes for Sleiman Frangieh were secured, would you proceed without us? They were upset and the answer came to me several times at all levels: 'How do you allow yourself to think that way?' Then, we saw different behavior."
He indicated that the "Free Patriotic Movement" prioritizes the state first, with the resistance as a protector of it, adding, "They want the resistance first, and the state afterwards, as its protector. In our view, achieving harmony between the two demands is possible if we agree on a president who implements reforms, builds the state, and preserves the resistance within the structure of the state without undermining it."
