The media department of the Lebanese Forces party stated in a statement that "discontent in life is a natural matter stemming from differences between projects, ideas, principles, and foundations. However, the worst disputes occur when the opponent is a liar and a fraud, continuously attempting to mislead, relying on people's short memory. Both the nearby and distant know that MP Gebran Bassil, since the pro-regime faction seized power starting in 2011, has had the ministerial majority, which he later added to with the presidency and parliamentary majority, as well as administrations, institutions, and authorities that place him in a position that bears primary responsibility for the issues faced by the Lebanese people, starting with violations of the constitution and sovereignty, through the financial collapse, up to the haphazard entry of refugees. Despite this, he attempts to falsely and falsely shift the blame onto others."
It pointed out that "the biggest lie he frequently reiterates is the lie of blaming others for the Syrian refugees who entered Lebanon under the single-color government in which MP Bassil had 11 ministers. Why did the government not prevent their entry? Why didn’t they organize this entry by creating camps on the borders? Why didn’t he address this problem when General Aoun assumed the presidency and his team gained the presidency and the ministerial and parliamentary majority?"
The department considered that "it is established that MP Bassil will not leave the saying 'Lie, lie, so that something must stick in people's minds.' This persistent lying has revealed him to the public and turned him into a political refugee with the Shiite partisan duo. Meanwhile, the Forces and the sovereign opposition were publicly with the Syrian revolution against the regime, but they do not bear the responsibility for the refugees' entry, which is solely the government's responsibility. Those who are truly and seriously working to address the refugee crisis are the opposition, which calls for adherence to the Interior Minister’s circulars and other steps."
It asked: "As for the Maarab Agreement, can MP Bassil tell the Lebanese, even once, how 'the Forces turned against the term through the betrayal of the Maarab Agreement' as he said? Is it by insisting on the sovereign clauses on which the agreement was built, including, for example, maintaining Lebanon's relations with friendly Arab and foreign countries, which his armed ally repeatedly attacked? Is it by the diligent efforts to establish a comprehensive national reconciliation, which he and his pro-regime ally turned against in attempts at undermining, isolating, and marginalizing? Is it by providing a legal mechanism for appointments that preserves the criteria of competence and transparency, which the term violated? Is it by fighting corruption, which the term faced by undermining the role of oversight bodies and paralyzing their work for narrow momentary interests?"
It added its questions: "Is it by the opposition of 'Forces' ministers to the electricity ship deal? Is it by adhering to the sovereignty clause while the term continues to cover illegal weapons, further enhancing the trend of confiscating state decision-making and the security of Lebanese during the years of the struggling term? Irrespective of the Maarab Agreement, can MP Bassil tell us which Christian forces he collaborated with when he held the presidency? Did he forget his provocative regional tours that nearly led to civil wars in more than one area, and did he forget how he antagonized his allies for the purpose of monopolizing power, spoils, and positions? Did he forget that he left no friend or ally, to the extent that he became a target for the people who revolted due to his recklessness, ambition, and tyranny? Did he forget how he disregarded every concept of partnership for the sake of inheritance and clientelism and corruption?"
The media department pointed out that "the glaring example of ambiguous and contradictory populist positions is MP Bassil's rejection of the unity of the squares, his support for 'Hezbollah's' defense of Lebanon, and his statement that he stands behind the party on this level, while the unity of the squares is an outcome, not a cause; the cause is the party's weapons and role that have paralyzed the state and its institutions."
It viewed that "worse than all of this, MP Bassil speaks of betrayals in the Engineers Syndicate elections. What betrayal is he talking about when each team supports its candidate clearly and transparently, unless he means the mutual betrayals between him and his allies in the pro-regime faction? We are not surprised at this talk, considering that his relationship with them is based on the principle of 'You let me pass and I let you pass.'"
The department noted that "even the figures that no one can deny, MP Bassil tries to manipulate these figures that emerged from the ballot boxes and clearly showed that the Lebanese Forces and their allies succeeded in obtaining 70% support for the candidate they backed, which is 5,300 votes compared to 1,300 Christian votes for Bassil's candidate, who won the votes of the Shiite partisan duo that provided him with 2,700 votes, making him the head of the 'Hezbollah' and 'Amal' duo.”
It concluded that "on the matter of municipal elections, MP Bassil is slyly giving Lebanese people a choice between two options that are fundamentally and essentially rejected: chaos is rejected, and extension is rejected. What is required, quite simply, is adherence to the constitutional time frame. However, in evasion of this entitlement, he tries to distract the Lebanese by giving them options between the bad extension and the worse unknown, while both the bad and the worse serve as justifications for extension. The vacuum should not be a topic at all; the only option on the table is to conduct the municipal elections on their constitutional date. We challenge MP Bassil to tell the Lebanese who among the 'Forces' supports extension, which it has firmly rejected in the past and strongly rejects today. We reiterate that anyone who extends commits a described crime against Lebanon, the Lebanese, the state, and its institutions; anyone who extends turns against the constitution, and anyone who extends is a traitor to the country and the people, by persistently undermining the last sanctuary, after the security forces, that serves as a refuge for these people."
