MP Tony Franjieh confirmed that his father, Suleiman Franjieh, head of the Marada Movement, will continue to contest the presidential election, noting that "we are a bloc of 4 MPs, and Suleiman Franjieh received 51 votes. It is his democratic and constitutional right to continue in this battle, whether he wins or loses, and we want to know who this third option is."
Regarding whether the presidential election is now linked to the Gaza war, he clarified in a press interview, "We always say one thing: saving the country starts with cooperation among Lebanese and through dialogue. If we, as Lebanese, do not have the spirit of responsibility to engage in unconditional dialogue among all political parties, we are like those who put sticks in the wheels and wait for external solutions, which in turn are awaiting external balances, including the Gaza war. However, we should not blame the outside; we should blame ourselves for not being able to engage in dialogue, and this responsibility directly falls on those who disrupt open and unconditional dialogues among all parties."
Franjieh observed that "the quintet committee is making efforts and trying to facilitate matters, but this committee is not the one that decides. In the end, it is the Parliament that will decide and who will elect the president. There are components in this Parliament that I do not see are engaging constructively to reach the presidency, and I hold some parties responsible for rejecting unconditional dialogue."
He expressed "complete satisfaction with the recent visit to Bkerke and the meeting with Maronite Patriarch Bechara Al-Rahi," stating, "The relationship with the Patriarch is always good. As for skipping a committee meeting in Bkerke, it was clarified that we are not boycotting Bkerke and that there are committees meeting under Bkerke's auspices. We participated in some committees and did not in others, but when there is something clearly defined in Bkerke, we have never boycotted."
