The President of the Lebanese Kataeb Party, MP Sami Gemayel, revealed today, Tuesday, that he informed French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian that "the Kataeb will not present the name of any new candidate for the presidency, and Hezbollah must withdraw its candidate and stop the imposition logic it follows." He refused to delve into the process of selecting and proposing new names while the opposing team remains steadfast on its choice, stating: "This is enough; we have taken a step and they must take another."
Gemayel considered that "the battle we are fighting today is beyond just the presidency and names; it is to prevent Hezbollah from controlling the country today through the presidency, and tomorrow through the government, laws, decisions of peace and war, our way of life, and the face of the country." He pointed out that "submitting to it in the past led to Lebanon's destruction and bankruptcy, and today we are facing a real opportunity to halt this downward trajectory."
He added: "In order to break the stalemate after months of obstruction, we started communications in an attempt to choose a candidate capable of breaking the alignments, and we communicated with all parties that reject Hezbollah’s candidate for the presidency until we converged on nominating Jihad Azour, who received 59 votes, just a few votes shy of the half plus one, which is a significant victory."
He questioned: "Have we in Lebanon become second-class citizens? And must the team that rejects Hezbollah's project in Lebanon, whether Christian or non-Christian, submit and allow it to take control of the country? If this applies today to the presidency, it will apply tomorrow to the government, laws, our way of life, and all decisions related to our lives. Will we submit or will we say no starting from this battle?"
He pointed out that "our presence in this country is because there have been groups that settled in this land for thousands of years, intending to preserve their freedom, dignity, culture, and way of life, and this is what drives us to confront every attempt, since independence, to impose any hegemony that changes the face of this country."
Gemayel indicated that "the existence of Hezbollah as an unarmed party is acceptable; we can meet with it in parliament, disagree on voting for laws, or agree, and it should enjoy the rights that we enjoy and live the life that we lead; they pay taxes and abide by the laws, and this is the Lebanon of diversity and coexistence that we accept. However, it today contradicts all of this and takes decisions for us, from the presidency to the government to peace, war, and the enactment of laws, using the taxes we pay to implement its desires."
He continued: "In 2016, we warned against this path, and perhaps some were unaware of what awaited the country if Michel Aoun was elected president. Those who voted for him did not vote for a strong Christian president but for Hezbollah to dominate the country, despite our clear warnings that yielding to its will would make it the maker of presidents. The equation it laid down at the time, which said: Either you elect my candidates or there will be no president for Lebanon, is being repeated today."
Gemayel emphasized that "the Kataeb Party stood against this project alone, despite the campaigns waged against it, and it has not once compromised its principles and convictions, and our firm positions stem from our non-dependence on any party and our non-involvement in corruption—a point of pride and a badge we wear on our chests."
Gemayel's remarks came during the handover ceremony that took place in the Ain al-Khrouba section between comrades Naeem Gemayel and Melhem Al-Sayah, in the presence of regional president Roger Abi Rached, party president advisor Emil Samra, head of the student office in Matn region Amin Pierre Gemayel, and a crowd of comrades and leaders from neighboring sections.
