The performance of President Nabih Berri overshadowed the proceedings of yesterday's presidential session, as all participants were certain that the invitation issued 48 hours prior was an unexpected surprise that prevented any "allies" from agreeing on the identity of the future president of the republic. Amid escalating economic crises and confusion over efforts to revive the government, the performance of opposition MPs once again disappointed many Lebanese, with the "13 MPs bloc" distinguishing itself from the "sovereigntists" in favor of Selim Edda, who received 11 votes in the absence of Ibrahim Mneimneh and Najat Saliba. Moreover, 10 Sunni MPs (the old Future bloc) voted for “Lebanon,” leading MP Michel Moawad to obtain 36 votes after four of his allied MPs were absent from the session, in contrast to 63 blank votes from March 8 Forces and Sidon MPs.
The session that Berri wanted to demonstrate he is not obstructing presidential elections proved the inability of the political forces, through the council's composition, to elect a president contrary to Hezbollah's will, which aims to secure its interests and maintain its grip on power. Members of Hezbollah's bloc hastily left the session to disrupt its quorum. Regarding the candidate the "party" desires, Member of Parliament Hussein Haj Hassan from the "Loyalty to the Resistance" bloc clarified to "Vocation of the Nation" that they are not the only ones who have not presented a candidate and pointed out that matters still require further communication. About what Hezbollah’s stance would be if the "opposition forces" managed to agree on a nominee against their wishes or contradicting Hezbollah's policies, he concluded the conversation saying: "We will refer to the constitution!"
Meanwhile, MP Nabil Badr emphasized the importance of consensus to elect the president, clarifying that many of the names circulated as options for agreement did not initiate communication with them to discuss the possibility of supporting them. He indicated that he had informed the "sovereign" forces about the potential for reaching a common name with the "Lebanese Forces," "Kataeb," and "Change Makers" during the evening talks preceding yesterday's session before proceeding in another direction and naming "Lebanon" as a symbolic vote to open up to everyone.
In contrast, the "13 MPs bloc" believed that the "system" does not wish to reach the election of a president before maturing a settlement regarding the division of power in the future—a step aimed at heading to the council to conduct a simulated election. MP Michel Douaihy reaffirmed the possibility of reaching names outside the existing alignments that clearly express their commitment to sovereign stances and restricting arms to the state while adopting a clear economic and financial plan, away from March 8 and March 14 positioning.
He reiterated the continuation of activating their initiative and pressuring the President of the Council to schedule a session without the need for prior consensus, which for them constitutes a form of distribution among the components of the regime, hinting at returning to the people and exerting pressure in the streets to elect a president who resembles their initiative. For his part, MP Bilal Hashimi viewed the role being played by the sovereign forces as an intersection that qualifies the outcome of electing a president who works towards achieving the necessary reforms and restoring Lebanon's role in its Arab and international surroundings. He stressed the need to elect a president who puts an end to the prolonged crises and extends the suffering of the Lebanese, placing Michel Moawad's candidacy within the framework of the latter's positions advocating for preserving the country and the Taif Accord.
He lamented the many circulated presidential names that do not hesitate to communicate with MPs to discuss the possibility of being elected, saying: "We want to fight for a candidate far from the suffering we endure and without him even contacting us"; he concluded affirming, "Our candidate is the one agreed upon among the sovereigns.” Additionally, MP Ashraf Rifi positioned his vote for Michel, son of the martyr Rene Moawad, the martyr of the Taif Accord, to emphasize in words and actions that "the time has come to escape the Iranian grip and also exit from hell!" He indicated that the results of the session form an acceptable beginning and establish a promising phase that presents the opposition with the challenge of unifying its votes in the second round and electing a promising president that embodies the demands and hopes of the Lebanese.
On the other side of the political speeches that remained below the required ceiling, the performance of President Nabih Berri and his "humorous" stringent messages to the MPs dominated the session, while the activity in the hall was limited to MP Michel Moawad, who engaged in discussions with most of the sovereign forces. Meanwhile, MP Gebran Bassil lingered in his position for the March 8 Forces to extend their greetings towards him and return welcome kisses for the sake of appearances with MP Tony Franjieh. MP Jamil Asayed deliberately stayed in the center of the hall to exchange greetings with the majority of MPs entering, before MP Nadim Gemayel approached with questions that led President Berri to turn to him saying: "They won't let you speak in the Kataeb Party, but you come here to talk?"
