The initiative of the Lebanese parliamentary bloc "National Moderation" is practically at stake following the announcement by several opposition forces rejecting the idea of Speaker Nabih Berri presiding over any dialogue session prior to a call for an open session with consecutive rounds to elect a president. The moderation initiative calls for deputies to convene for a consultative session to agree on a presidential candidate; should they succeed or fail, they commit to participate in the election session without obstructing the quorum. However, President Berri rejected the idea of a consultative session without a head for the meeting, specifying through "Asharq Al-Awsat" the process that should be followed for it to convene. He highlighted that the parliament's General Secretariat is responsible for inviting parliamentary blocs to participate in the dialogue, which he will personally chair without preconditions. This procedure was entirely rejected by the Lebanese Forces and other opposing deputies.
Deputy Ghada Ayoub from the "Strong Republic" bloc (Lebanese Forces) stated that it is essential to distinguish between those who are receptive to the moderation initiative and those who obstruct it, as the initiative clearly proposes a mechanism for deputies to convene for one day of discussion, after which a call is made to the Speaker to schedule an open election session without disrupting the quorum. Every participant in the discussion is obligated not to obstruct. Hence, Berri's announcement and insistence on presiding over the dialogue effectively undermine this initiative.
Ayoub noted in a statement to "Asharq Al-Awsat" that the moment President Berri declared he would chair the dialogue, he effectively nullified the initiative to avoid being perceived as unwilling to change his stance regarding the presidency in relation to former Minister Sleiman Frangieh, recalling that he had confirmed months ago that he could not preside over a dialogue table since he is a party involved and has a fixed candidate. She added that it is clear that those who seek to establish the dialogue as a primary means for electing a president do so at the expense of applying the constitution; this is the resistance team that does not want any presidential elections, either because they are betting on their opponents' surrender or waiting for a trade-off after the Gaza conflict.
Ayoub emphasized that regardless of how much the resistance team tries to link the presidential fate with Gaza or insists that Lebanon cannot emerge from its crisis without electing its candidate, their attempt will not succeed; Lebanon can only recover from its troubles by electing a president who has a sovereign and reformist background and is not subject to the resistance axis, enabling them to fulfill their constitutional responsibilities and exercise their presidential powers not as a leader of the resistance team but as the President of the Lebanese Republic.
For his part, Deputy Waddah Al-Saadik from the Change Alliance bloc indicated that President Berri has not been serious from the outset in supporting the moderation bloc's initiative as proposed by its deputies. In a statement to "Asharq Al-Awsat," he clarified that the problem is not who presides over the dialogue, but the dialogue itself preceding every entitlement. He cautioned against converting it into a custom; if we conduct dialogue for electing a president, will we also hold dialogue for appointing a Prime Minister, Army Commander, and Governor of the Central Bank, among other entitlements? What need do we have then for the constitution and laws? It is as if we are living two thousand years ago in a tribal framework deciding through dialogue who should govern.
Al-Saadik stated that he is convinced President Berri wants to elect a president even if it isn’t Sleiman Frangieh, but he cannot bypass the pressures from Hezbollah, which does not want a president at this stage. Furthermore, the manner in which Frangieh was presented signals they do not actually want him as president; otherwise, he would have nominated himself first through his bloc’s deputies and other independent deputies, with the Shiite duo then supporting him. The proposals being made aim solely to delay the election of a president.
Initially, the moderation bloc was expected to draft a clear mechanism for their initiative, which most political forces welcomed, with the exception of Hezbollah and a few deputies close to it, as well as the Kataeb party. They were to embark on a new round with various forces to detail this mechanism. However, with Berri's insistence on dialogue calls chaired by him personally and the opposition's complete rejection of this, it will be quite difficult to continue working on the moderation initiative.
The media department of the Lebanese Forces issued a statement strongly criticizing Berri's stance, noting that he seems confused, believing that his presidency of the parliament grants him the right to oversee the deputies and parliamentary blocs. What he proposes regarding an official dialogue table called by the General Secretariat of the Parliament, chaired by him, implies that all constitutional entitlements, starting from the presidency, through appointing a Prime Minister, and forming a government, must go through Berri’s table, which contradicts the constitution and the principle of shared living. The statement concluded: "Time and again, you bring forth many matters right and left, but what is required is simply one thing: to call for an open presidential election session with consecutive rounds until a president is elected."
