Melhem Khalaf highlights presidential initiatives criteria for Lebanons presidential candidate

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In a statement to "Al-Anbaa" online newspaper, member of Change MPs bloc Melhem Khalaf criticized the idea of holding a presidential election session while sacrificing democracy for the sake of an external settlement.

"We must respect the time limit of the elections and provisions of the constitution in order to elect a new president for the country." he indicated.

This article was initially published in, translated from the Lebanese newspaper Al-Anbaa.

He also wondered whether MPs are reduced to the leaders of their blocs and whether they are dependent on external forces. If the parliament is the master of its fate, where are sovereignty, national dignity, and the trust of the people's representatives?

Khalaf, who has been on a sit-in at the parliament with fellow MP Najat Saliba since January 19th, refused to talk about the absence of the Change MPs from the presidential election and the bloc's stance on the matter.

However, he mentioned the presidential initiative that his bloc launched in September, which included specifications and criteria for the presidential candidate, and warned against falling into a presidential vacuum.
He also stressed the importance of having a president made in Lebanon, but this did not happen as we have already slipped into a presidential vacuum.

Moreover, Khalaf added that the Change MPs did not question their absence from the presidential election, as they had already put forward clear stances and names in the presidential initiative presented to different political parties who confirmed the rightness of this initiative.

Nevertheless, he criticized other political parties for changing their stances and returning to their selfish interests instead of prioritizing the country's interests and finding a solution to save Lebanon.

Regarding the attempt to convince opposition forces of another candidate to confront the candidate Sleiman Frangieh, Khalaf confirmed that Change MPs had three names in the presidential initiative: Nassif Hitti, Ziad Baroud, and Salah Honein.

He highlighted the criteria indicated in the initiative of Change MPs and the importance of having a presidential candidate who is acceptable to all parties and not perceived as a challenge and who can be a unifying figure for the country.