During his visit to the patriarchal edifice yesterday, Suleiman Frangieh, the head of the "Mardais" movement, seemed to be striving to strengthen his position in the presidential race, which he nearly announced he would enter directly, while at the same time keeping the door open for the possibility of failing to reach the presidential palace. According to political sources monitoring the situation, Frangieh aimed to polish his image in the Arab world, particularly in Saudi Arabia. He expressed, "I am for establishing the best relations with Arab countries, especially with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and I will work on a realistic defense strategy through dialogue with everyone. I can take from the resistance what no other candidate can, as well as from Syria." He confirmed that "we are fundamentally in favor of the Taef Agreement and are essential to it and its full implementation," adding, "I am not Hezbollah's candidate and I don't owe anything to any team that nominates me." Frangieh argued that "external countries are ruining nations for their projects, and the fear is that if they ruin it this time, it cannot be rebuilt, and the biggest loss will be on the Christian front."
Additionally, Frangieh sought to undermine the chances of his rivals by stating, "The head of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Gebran Bassil, has his reasons for rejecting me; the matters are beyond his capacity to comprehend. I am not against the army commander, but what are his political plans? Is MP Michel Moawad a consensus candidate? I come from a political background, and all those proposed are centrists in appearance only, but they have their political backgrounds." Notably, he also tried to win over his opponents, including the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces, by appealing to Christian values, saying, "What happened last time was not Christian unity but unity against us," emphasizing that "Christianity is humility, openness, forgiveness, and dialogue." To appease the centrist or undecided forces, he declared, "I do not want to be a challenge president, and the majority needs 65 votes, so we say that I or anyone else cannot reach the presidency."
Frangieh kept the possibility of not being backed by Hezbollah or the chance of pursuing another candidate in his calculations, confirming that "I have not yet nominated myself for the presidency, even to withdraw my candidacy. When I feel I have the number of votes that qualifies me to be a serious candidate, I will run. I am not against reaching an agreement on any president."
So, will Frangieh's plan, which is based on refusing to be a challenge president, extending a hand to his opponents—especially Christians—and charming the Arab world, allow him to reach Baabda Palace, taking advantage of the comprehensive social, economic, and judicial collapse that may push many parties to accept concessions and settle due to fear of worse outcomes?
