The media office of the Lebanese Forces party expressed surprise at Walid Jumblatt's accusation that the party is responsible for aborting the presidential elections and President Nabih Berri's dialogue initiative. They pointed out that "it is well-known to Walid Jumblatt who has disrupted the election sessions by exiting them each time, who does not call for consecutive sessions, and who has disrupted Jumblatt's initiative as well as that of French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, and now the Qatari effort towards a third option."
The media office reminded Jumblatt, in a statement, that "presidential elections occur through sessions held in consecutive rounds after bilateral or multi-party dialogue, similar to the agreement that backed the candidacy of Jihad Azour. There is no other presidential path, and we will not accept the establishment of a new unconstitutional norm that eliminates the role of the Parliament and parliamentary elections."
They added: "It is not the Lebanese Forces nor Walid Jumblatt who have aborted the opportunity for electing a President of the Republic; rather, those who have done so are those who cling to their candidate despite their inability to elect him, those who obstruct all constitutional electoral mechanisms, and those who insist on a futile dialogue, pinning the responsibility for the vacancy on everyone who participates in the dialogue, while the actual responsibility lies with the team that exits and disrupts the sessions and refuses to accept the constitutional democratic process."
The Lebanese Forces asked Jumblatt: "Does he want the current deterioration to continue for an additional six years? Is there no such thing as Lebanon's supreme interest? And is managing the country possible through distant discussions, completely disconnected from the people's pain, suffering, and tragedies?" They expressed regret that Jumblatt blames them for something they are innocent of, noting that they have sought since before entering the constitutional timeframe to fulfill the presidential obligation by attending all sessions, trying to revive consecutive rounds, and moving from one candidate to another—all in an attempt to avoid the vacancy that the country has entered due to one political team's insistence on imposing its conditions on the Lebanese against their will and desire for rescue.
