The Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon, Alaa Moussa, observed that reaching a ceasefire in Gaza would impact the presidential file, hinting at the connection between the conflict in the south and the obstacles preventing the end of the vacancy in the Lebanese presidential seat. This comes despite the various initiatives from both domestic and international fronts, along with political and religious pressures to elect a new president, juxtaposed with Speaker Nabih Berri's insistence on dialogue prior to the parliament opening sessions for presidential elections, as reported by "Asharq Al-Awsat."
Lebanon has been facing a vacancy in the presidency since the term of former President Michel Aoun ended on October 31, 2022. Domestic initiatives have failed to resolve the vacancy, and efforts by representatives of the five countries (the United States, France, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Qatar) to overcome the obstacles impeding political consensus for a solution have not stopped.
The Egyptian ambassador stated in an interview with LBCI television that the quintet committee continues its work, noting the significance of the opposition's movement, which could be built upon in the future. He emphasized that the goal is to maintain momentum in the presidential file until the necessary ground is prepared for making progress. He also suggested that if a ceasefire in Gaza is achieved, it would have repercussions on the presidential file, expressing hope for continued negotiations without setbacks. He stressed that the solution begins first from within and then from outside, and the quintet committee sees political consensus as the only way to resolve the presidential issue.
The opposition believes that Hezbollah is delaying consensus on the presidential election until after the Gaza conflict, which is inevitably linked to the southern war, a claim the party denies, stating it supports Speaker Nabih Berri's proposals for dialogue prior to electing a president. This occurs amidst a significant religious push from the highest Christian authority for the election of a president.
Maronite Patriarch Bechara Al-Rai affirmed the necessity of electing a president, calling on the parliament to regain its role, as well as the cabinet, so that they can assume their responsibilities toward the poor populace and halt the emigration crisis. In a Sunday sermon, Al-Rai remarked that had political leaders heeded the inspirations of the Holy Spirit and understood their presence's meaning and the importance of their identity and mission, they would have changed their approach to national affairs and hastened the election of a president to ensure the parliament functions effectively as a legislative body, allowing the cabinet to regain its full constitutional powers, and take responsibility for the basic rights of the impoverished populace in terms of food, work, and establishing a self-sufficient family.
Berri's Dialogue Initiatives
Internal initiatives appear stalled at Berri's condition for a limited-time dialogue aimed at reaching consensus on one, two, or three candidates to present to parliament for election in open sessions. Berri's political aide, MP Ali Hassan Khalil, stated that they do not want to respond or focus on voices that seek to revert matters and not learn from past experiences, thus fighting against windmills and concentrating on fictitious barriers that have been eliminated by the credibility of the project launched by President Nabih Berri about a year ago. He explained that the project consists of understanding and reflecting on experiences from 2007 and 2016 (which both witnessed presidential vacancies) and the preceding eras, confirming that dialogue and the agreement among Lebanese are the only ways to build institutions, activate their functions, and develop a project capable of achieving the people's interests and future.
In the same context, MP Qasem Hashem, belonging to the Development and Liberation bloc, mentioned that some ideas proposed regarding the presidential elections did not present anything new, observing that the shortest path to the presidency is through the initiative launched by Berri, which could lead to a president and an operational institutional start within a week, depending on intentions to determine the final direction, according to "Asharq Al-Awsat."
