The political council of the "Free Patriotic Movement" stated in a statement after its regular meeting chaired by MP Gibran Bassil that "with the passing of the ninth month of the Gaza war, Israel has failed to achieve its objectives except for destruction and displacement. However, the war has proven that the Palestinian cause is a just cause and has shown Israel to be a state that kills civilians and rejects peace." It emphasized that "it is self-evident that the Free Patriotic Movement supports the rights of Palestinians and backs the right to resistance in defending Lebanon, without dragging it into arenas and wars that do not serve its interests."
The statement noted that "once again, what the movement warned about is correct, as the resigned government, which lacks legitimacy and constitutional validity, violates the constitution and undermines authorities by holding cabinet sessions with vague items that are not justified by extreme necessity, at least according to the concept of routine governance. This occurs while the dysfunction in public administrations deepens and the ongoing undermining of the balances required by national partnership, which the movement will not accept or remain silent about."
It announced that "in preparation for facilitating the election of a President of the Republic, the movement shows its responsiveness to two proposals presented by opposition MPs for consultation to elect the president. It reiterates that some formalities should be bypassed if the outcome of the election is guaranteed. Some may consider the written proposals from opposition MPs as a new custom being introduced to the constitution, while we do not consider it as such as long as we are all agreed and committed, both in word and writing, not to consider any format of consultation as a new constitutional norm, but rather it is an exceptional situation that requires an attempt to agree on a consensual president, and if that fails, the commitment from all is to ensure the necessary quorum for holding sessions and consecutive rounds that guarantee the election of the president as stipulated in the constitution."
The statement urged both conflicting parties regarding these formalities, the opposition and the resistance, to overcome them and expressed its readiness to provide appropriate solutions, as it has become agreed upon that the foundation is consultation in an attempt to reach an agreement on a consensual president. In case of failure, the commitment from everyone is to secure the necessary quorum for holding sessions and consecutive rounds to ensure the election of the president as outlined in the constitution.
