The head of the Marada Movement, Suleiman Franjieh, pointed out that "being Christian and a Maronite in Lebanon means believing in diversity, in the other’s opinion, and the right to differ; we should not be a community of a single opinion and stance." He stated, "Being Christian means preserving the free economic system and restoring trust in the banking sector; being Christians in Lebanon means being Lebanese who give and sacrifice for Lebanon, and if Lebanon is in danger, we all stand together as one Lebanese people, united in heart."
During the celebration of the 46th anniversary of June 13, 1978, Franjieh added, "In the era of the first republic, the Maronites provided Lebanon with the best figures for the presidency, including Bishara al-Khouri, Camille Chamoun, Fouad Chehab, and Suleiman Franjieh. During their tenure, Lebanon prospered and experienced its golden age." He noted that "Bishara al-Khouri was a minority in the Christian street; Camille Chamoun became the political patriarch of Christians after leaving the presidency; Fouad Chehab created a national path without working to be a Christian leader; and President Charles Helou followed the same approach."
He recalled that "former President Suleiman Franjieh was not the strongest Christian in the late 1960s. Pierre Gemayel and President Chamoun had the popular majority at that time; nonetheless, the members of the parliament elected Suleiman Franjieh as president."
Franjieh continued, "After the Taif Agreement, the concept of the presidency changed, and the nature of the system altered; the president became more of a judge than the actual head of the executive authority. A significant segment of Christians complained about the declining role of the president and their ability to influence the political system. After 2005, the team of former President Michel Aoun proposed an equation stating: ‘Just as the Speaker of the Parliament is the strongest representative among the Shiites, and the Prime Minister is the strongest representative among the Sunnis, the President of the Republic should be the most representative among Christians.’”
He added, "This equation was translated in 2014 during the meeting at Bkerke, in which I participated. I had clear and explicit observations regarding the description and classification of the strong president; despite that, I agreed not to be seen as opposing consensus and agreement."
He further asserted, "I say this with a clear conscience: If we want to continue with the logic and theory of President Aoun and the Free Patriotic Movement, then Samir Geagea, the head of the Lebanese Forces, should be the natural candidate for the Free Patriotic Movement for the presidency. The question today is: ‘Why doesn’t the Movement act according to this theory despite the fact that the Marada, the Forces, and the Kataeb were against it? Or is it just a matter of opportunism depending on what serves our interests?'"
