“With all due respect to Hariri and his initiatives and efforts to end the presidential vacuum, but I declare my rejection to this decision for many reasons and many political criteria, which I have previously declared publicly, just like many of my colleagues in the Future bloc,” he said.
For his part, MP Farid Makari stressed that he will cast his vote in accordance with his convictions, noting that he will not vote for Aoun.
Similarly, MP Siniora also said that he will not vote for Aoun as president.
In turn, Telecommunications Minister Boutros Harb congratulated the Lebanese people over Aoun’s nominations, adding that “political extortion has triumphed.”
Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq stressed that “he is not the godfather of this agreement,” hoping that a president will be elected during the session scheduled to be held on October 31st.
However, Education Minister Elias Bou Saab welcomed the nomination, noting that “he heard the voice and words of late former PM Rafiq Hariri in Saad Hariri’s speech.”
Arab Tawhid Party Chief Wiam Wahhab said that Hariri’s decision to back Aoun is an important and essential move, noting however that the most important challenge remains the ability to build a corrupt-free republic.