Lebanon is awaiting a new political initiative from the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, Gebran Bassil, after the holiday break, aimed clearly at bypassing the candidacies of Sleiman Frangieh, the head of the Marada Movement, and Army Commander Joseph Aoun for the presidency. According to sources following the situation, Bassil is working on proposing a name from outside the conventional options to back his candidacy, emphasizing that the individual must be a political figure with economic expertise and the necessary connections to help Lebanon out of its crisis. Bassil will seek to organize a new meeting with Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri and other political figures and parliamentary blocks. In addition to his meeting with the head of the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt, Bassil met a week ago with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
The sources indicate that he intends to improve his relations with Sunni leaders and all players in the field because he is proposing an initiative based on the necessity of consensus among various parties and avoiding attempts to isolate him due to differences with Hezbollah regarding the presidential elections. After all these movements, he aims to renew communication based on new rules concerning the need to nominate a new figure for the presidency and his refusal to endorse Sleiman Frangieh's option. Bassil has conveyed this position to Maronite Patriarch Bechara Al-Rahi, as well as to Hezbollah and many political forces, and to French officials during his last visit to Paris, amidst his efforts to propose a consensus figure acceptable to all, including Jihad Azour, the head of the Middle East and Central Asia division at the International Monetary Fund, due to his consensus-building qualities, good relations with everyone, and successful political and financial experience in Lebanon and abroad, which earns him the trust of the international community.
Bassil believes that a figure such as Jihad Azour, who could gain the approval of Berri, Jumblatt, Sunni figures, and external actors, could potentially break through the wall of the crisis and carve a new political path that would help circumvent the vacuum, while also looking to develop a comprehensive financial and economic plan. However, he will certainly have political and governmental demands, including the appointment of a new governor for the Central Bank of Lebanon and a new army commander, considering that these matters will not create conflict between him and the "new president" if he is a consensus candidate with no political aspirations to form a popular force capable of encroaching on the Free Patriotic Movement's domain.
