The leadership of the Free Patriotic Movement has not yet succeeded in convincing the Progressive Socialist Party and the National Moderation Bloc to form a central pressure group on the presidential file. Deputy Gibran Bassil, head of the movement, believes that unifying the initiatives and efforts of the three parties can change the current presidential stalemate. This stalemate persists especially after the latest initiatives proposed by the opposition have hit a dead end due to the rejection of the Shia duo (Hezbollah and Amal Movement) to engage with them.
A source from the Free Patriotic Movement indicated that the idea of forming a central pressure group emerged because all proposals discussed in recent months have reached a certain point from which they can no longer advance. Therefore, we considered that our gathering and unifying our efforts as blocs situated in the middle between the two conflicting parties could change the current situation. He noted in a statement to "Asharq Al-Awsat" that the Progressive Socialist Party and Moderation Bloc are open to bilateral meetings rather than trilateral ones and have not yet responded to the idea of creating a pressure group or alliance on the presidential file.
Consultation First
Dr. Bilal Abdullah, a member of the "Democratic Gathering" Bloc, emphasized that the bloc hopes for complementary and synergistic efforts that would lead to the election of a president. He stated to "Asharq Al-Awsat" that the proposed initiatives sometimes intersect and sometimes differ, but what remains essential is to emphasize the principle of consultation to reach a conclusion. He added that if consultation is held in Parliament, it is natural for it to be chaired by the Speaker of the House. Abdullah further mentioned the need for political blocs to come closer together amidst ongoing regional and international stalemates and the continuous conflict in the region, along with the international community's distancing from Lebanon, which no longer ranks among priorities.
Moderation as a Guarantee
For his part, Ahmed Al-Khair, a member of the National Moderation Bloc, pointed out that there is no discussion about unifying efforts on the presidential file with the Free Patriotic Movement and the Progressive Socialist Party; rather, there are ongoing discussions for complementarity among various initiatives and finding common intersections that can be leveraged to accomplish the presidential mandate if efforts and intentions align.
Al-Khair reminded in a statement to "Asharq Al-Awsat" that the Moderation Bloc was the first to position itself in the center and has not been part of any alignment, realizing that alignments, as they were and still are, will not elect a president and only serve to prolong the presidential void. He emphasized the necessity of consultation to arrive at solutions and reiterated that today, more than ever, highlights the correctness of their stance, given that all initiatives converge on the principle of consultation, regardless of its details, amid calls for the creation of a moderate pressure group to achieve the presidential obligation.
He added: "Today, we are in the middle and have not left our position since the crisis began; we extend our hand to everyone and bet on the convergence of all around the conviction that moderation in this matter will serve as a guarantee and safety valve for any dialogue or consultation aimed at reaching a solution. Continuing with the logic of alignments and challenges, nearly two years into the vacancy, has become a crime against Lebanon as a state, a structure, institutions, and a people."
The Three Initiatives
Bassil's presidential initiative largely embraces a proposal first introduced by the Speaker of the House in the summer of 2022, which suggests a limited-time dialogue not exceeding ten days, to be chaired by Berri, followed directly by a session to elect a president in multiple rounds. The Democratic Gathering's initiative aimed to bridge views between the Shia duo and the opposition in response to a request from French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, but it did not lead to any significant breakthrough.
Prior to these initiatives, the Moderation Bloc proposed a practical plan suggesting a consultation session before the election meeting. This initiative was welcomed by all factions before disagreements arose over the implementation of its terms, especially after Hezbollah and the Amal Movement insisted that Berri be the one to lead and call for the dialogue according to "Asharq Al-Awsat."
