The President of the Lebanese Forces party, Samir Geagea, met in Maarab with the "Renewal" bloc, which includes MPs Michel Moawad, Ashraf Rifi, Fouad Makhzoumi, and Adib Abd El-Masih, in the presence of the two MPs from the Strong Republic bloc, Fadi Karam and Eli Khoury.
After the hour-long meeting, MP Abd El-Masih described the encounter on behalf of the delegation as "fruitful" and "very good," placing the meeting within the context of coordination visits by the "Renewal" bloc with the sovereign, reformist, and change-making forces to discuss collaboration in the legislative field within the Parliament, such as the budget and bills on one hand, and a serious discussion on all constitutional entitlements, primarily the presidential election, on the other hand.
He continued: "We have a clear understanding with the Lebanese Forces that we do not want a vacuum in the presidency but need a new president before October 31. However, it cannot be 'just any president,' considering that the country can no longer bear another six years of isolation from its Arab and global surroundings, nor can it be a weak state lacking essential reforms and failing to respect the constitution. Additionally, it cannot withstand another six years of humiliation for its citizens who stand in lines for 'one million lira' from the bank, at hospital doors, or for buying medicine, milk, or diesel, or escaping in illegal death boats while dying on unsafe roads."
He viewed that "the beginning of change was in the last parliamentary elections and in the meetings towards the unity of the opposition and its consolidation; however, the gateway to change is the 'presidency,' and certainly the formation of a government that takes the country in the right direction."
He added: "The country can no longer tolerate three types of 'presidents': a president who follows and continues the current approach that has led us to bankruptcy, isolation, and failure; a 'good but weak' president who has no experience and is merely an observer of the crisis and witness to the collapse; or a president who imposes himself 'from above' and does not live amongst us, unaware of the suffering and pain of the Lebanese people."
He emphasized that what is needed is a sovereign, rescue-oriented, and reformist president who has sufficient capability, and this will only be witnessed with the agreement of all opposition forces on their various affiliations and diversities to confront this entitlement and restore Lebanon and its identity to the essence we all grew up on and believe in.
In response to a question, Abd El-Masih stated: "We have not delved into names but rather into mechanisms for unifying the opposition as a whole, and there is ongoing coordination with our 'brothers' in the change movement; however, we have not yet reached a unified mechanism with them, although coordination continues."
