Lebanon's presidential elections: International diplomatic moves in progress

Information from multiple sources indicates an attempt by the Paris Group's five nations to push for presidential elections in the first ten days of October. 

These nations are expected to release a statement after their representatives' meeting in New York on Tuesday, outlining various aspects of Lebanon's presidential elections. 

French sources revealed that the five nations had reached an understanding that the nomination of candidates is purely a Lebanese matter, and no effort should be made to impose any names, allowing the democratic process to run its course in a complete electoral session.

The sources reveal that there is no coordination between the movement led by the French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian and the Qatari envoys. 

However, there is no contradiction in their objective, which is the election of a president. Notably, the five nations have agreed to allow each party involved the freedom to act concerning the events in Lebanon.

In addition, French sources discussed the agreement reached with Le Drian regarding the format of the election sessions that follow political discussions under the parliament's dome. The agreement states that the election session should be open in consecutive rounds and with a complete quorum, as Article 49 of the Constitution stipulates. 

According to this Article, the President of the Republic is elected by secret ballot with a two-thirds majority in the first round and by an absolute majority in the subsequent rounds.

Opposition sources have indicated that Qatari efforts, through Iran, aim to persuade Hezbollah not to insist on the candidacy of Sleiman Frangieh. This insistence by the opposition on Frangieh is seen as an endorsement of Jihad Azour as a consensus candidate after abandoning Michel Moawad, whom the party previously considered a confrontational candidate. 

These sources suggest that relinquishing Frangieh and the condition of dialogue opens the door to a broad consultation process that may lead to a consensus rescue president.

On the other hand, the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) is still waiting for a response to its commitment to decentralization and the sovereign fund to support a presidential candidate. Still, the issue does not end with this commitment; more is explicitly required for a rescue program.

This week is expected to be marked by intense local, regional, and international movements regarding the presidential crisis in Lebanon. 

Nevertheless, achieving positive results remains uncertain, even if all parties express good intentions.