“Be careful what you say because I might do it”: with this phrase, the head of the "Free Patriotic Movement," MP Gebran Bassil, hinted during a meeting of the opposition forces at the possibility of electing Dr. Samir Geagea as President of the Republic. This statement did not go unnoticed by the members of the "Lebanese Forces," as the "Aouni" support for their party leader is significant. MP Ghassan Hasbani quickly framed it as a “maneuver,” saying: “Bassil may hint at electing Geagea as president as a tactic to improve his negotiating position with the 'Shiite duo,' but it is certain that neither the 'Forces', the opposition, nor the 'duo' take Bassil's words seriously,” as reported by "An-Nahar."
Amid the "maneuvering" and "political posturing," the "National Current" rejects commenting on Bassil's statement or at least responding to Hasbani's position. The Deputy Head of the "National Movement" for Political Affairs, Martine Najm, confirms: “Our words are not for political maneuvering, and we do not engage in tricks.” Najm tells "An-Nahar": “The current's position is clear and principled, and we place President Bassil's recent statement in its principled context, not a temporary or immediate one.”
Najm recalls the year 2016, prior to President Michel Aoun's election, during a time of political vacuum. She explains how “the current, represented by Minister Bassil, long raised the issue of presidential vacuum and the difficulty of electing a new president if the situation remained unchanged. At that time, Christian leaders were gathering in Bkerke to discuss the presidential crisis. Bassil then proposed selecting the most representative Christian president to support for the presidency, especially if the Christian leaders continued to disagree. However, the irony was that this proposal was rejected at the time by the 'Lebanese Forces,' the Kataeb, and, of course, the 'Marada Movement.'”
Najm continues: “The 'National Movement' returned, in line with this position, to propose including this item in the Maarab Agreement to make it a fixed point, to prevent a new and renewed presidential vacuum, and to avoid any disagreement that might hinder the election process. Minister Bassil was explicit in this proposal, stating: today perhaps President Aoun is the strongest Christian figure, but in the coming years, the equation could change. The important thing is to establish this item as a guarantee for the Christians, avoiding any long vacuum. However, the 'Forces' party refused to include the item in the agreement.”
**Constitutional Amendment?**
Bassil did not limit himself to this “verbal” position; he sought to solidify it in writing. Thus, he presented a draft law before the General Secretariat of the Parliament, which calls for a constitutional amendment. Najm discloses: “In line with this position, the draft law proposed calls for electing a president by the people, in two rounds: the first round conducted by the Christian component, and the second round involving all components. In this way, we achieve the correct representation of Christians and impose just constitutional principles.”
From here, she sees that “there is no need for political posturing, especially in this delicate and sensitive situation. Bassil's words do not at all fall within maneuvering; if they support the principle from which Bassil's recent words emerged, they should agree with it or at least refer to the approval of the constitutional amendment draft law.”
In the view of the "Current," it is the other forces that are maneuvering and posturing, and Najm points to “the recent remarks of the head of the Marada Movement, Minister Sleiman Frangieh, which were striking; he recently proposed, jokingly, not to say any other word, electing the most representative Christian figure, as if he returns to Bassil's very own idea, which met with complete rejection from everyone, especially the Marada Movement. So who is maneuvering and posturing?! They return and propose the same ideas again, after being their staunch opponents.”
On the "Lebanese Forces" front, there is no comment. Forces circles merely tell "An-Nahar": “Hasbani's words were clear. There is no need for clarification. Bassil's remarks are certainly just maneuvering; they cannot be serious.”
On the part of the "National Current": “All our positions are clear, stemming from the Christian existence, balance, partnership, and principled ideas. We do not engage in tricks and will not respond to Hasbani's words; they are not worth responding to,” according to "An-Nahar."
