The 11th session for electing a president witnessed two notable movements. The first was the decision by MPs Najat Saliba and Melhem Khalaf to stage a sit-in inside the parliament after the session was adjourned, demanding consecutive meetings until a president is elected. The second was the announcement by the Secretary of the "Democratic Gathering" party, MP Hadi Abu al-Hassan, that the gathering would suspend its participation in upcoming sessions to break the deadlock and called upon everyone to consult to find a solution. This announcement coincided with a noteworthy initiative by the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt, towards the political forces, notably his meeting with the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Gibran Bassil, and a Hezbollah delegation for the second time yesterday, among other meetings. Is there a glimmer of hope that illuminates the darkness of this election process and lights the way for MPs to choose a president?
MP Bilal Abdullah, a member of the "Democratic Gathering," affirmed to "Al-Markazia" that these steps are consistent with what has been initiated since the election process began. They aimed at opening up to the political forces to search for a convergence of wills, if we may call it that, to rescue the country from all directions and to remove the spiral of boredom and embarrassment that affects everyone in this presidential election play, which corresponds with the scattering of votes and disruption of the quorum. Hence, a new dynamic was necessary, which we launched as the Democratic Gathering through MP Abu al-Hassan's call. It is known historically that the Socialist Party does not boycott or disrupt, but we are trying to encourage everyone through these statements for more dialogue and elevate this dialogue to a level of results, not just meetings for the sake of meetings. Thus, we launched this motivational call that will be manifested by our absence from the upcoming session or through another action, which we will decide after consulting together as a Democratic Gathering with the gathering's president and the party's leader. However, it was essential to say that we do not find ourselves as a Democratic Gathering harmonizing with the atmosphere of elections and existing alignments and disruptions in the current council. This is the essence."
Regarding the call for open meetings in the council alongside the sit-in by MPs Saliba and Khalaf, he says: "In principle, our position is firm, and we have always declared that we are ready for any dialogue or meeting of any nature, place, or format aimed at extricating the country from this impasse. Thus, we were among the first to welcome the Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri's initial call for dialogue, and the second call was made at our request. This matter is one of our constants and traditions."
As for the dialogue with Hezbollah, he replies: "We discussed with Hezbollah at the beginning of the process. The second meeting continues from the first, concerning two essential points: First, the presidential election and the necessity to extricate it from the existing alignments, i.e., the challenge, and not to repeat the previous experience in the last term. Second, how to address the devastating social and economic crises that have deprived Lebanese citizens of all the conditions for a decent life in all aspects. This is a common concern we are discussing with everyone. The dialogue with political parties is ongoing. It has previously included discussions with MP Gibran Bassil, and there is continuous dialogue with the Lebanese Forces, the Kataeb, independents, change-makers, the moderation bloc, and the renewal bloc. Dialogue and openness are central to our principles with all political parties to foster an internal settlement and to Lebanese the processes. It seems that the outside world is not interested in Lebanon today, and resolutions and follow-up are not among its priorities; thus, this movement we started will continue, and we will not stop."
Since Hezbollah is a team that could change the equation, have you sensed flexibility on their part, and is it possible for them to abandon their candidate, former Minister Sleiman Franjieh of the Marada Movement, as a first step towards searching for a candidate who can garner a majority of votes? "Essentially, Hezbollah has not officially nominated Franjieh but rather it is circulated through media that he is the candidate of the national duo. It falls within the framework of media leaks, but officially this team is still voting with a white paper. It is clear that we have not gone into the specifics of individual names with Hezbollah in the discussion, but rather into the core criteria of the required settlement and importantly the type of tasks required from the president and the government that must be formed to try to save the country."
The name is important, he replies: "Of course, it is important, and when there is maturity in the discussion of names, we are ready from the start. However, this matter awaits the maturity of the names among all parties involved. In this regard, we are ready and have called for it from day one, as we know how the balances in the country can be handled. Therefore, we called for a president who reassures everyone, including Hezbollah, a president who can pull Lebanon out of its isolation, and we have outlined a socio-economic plan. I believe there are many names that fit these specifications; Lebanon is teeming with qualified individuals. The important thing is to open the door for them. However, if every candidate carrying these specifications will be subjected to pressures and preconditions, then the situation will be more complicated. We may find three or four candidates with similar qualifications, but there are personalities willing to be affected by pressures or comply with conditions, while others are not. Thus, moving from specifications to individuals is not easy, but waiting is also deadly."
Does Speaker Berri not have an exit for this impasse? Abdullah responds: "Speaker Berri has tried twice through dialogue, and I am sure he will try again, based on our knowledge of him. He is keen that this blockage does not continue. Every team expresses this issue in its own way, but I am confident he is eager not for this stagnation to persist, and I do not believe he is pleased to be managing these sessions."
