In a presidential development, a recent meeting took place between the head of the "loyalty to the resistance" parliamentary bloc, Deputy Mohammad Raad, and the Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun, away from the spotlight.
The visit came on the instructions of Hezbollah to approach the presidential election for the first time, as the party had previously separated its assessment of the army commander's performance at the military institution from the presidential elections in which it supported the nomination of the leader of the Marada Movement, Sleiman Frangieh. Does the meeting between Raad and Aoun indicate that the party has modified its presidential strategy?
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According to information obtained by "Nidaa al-Watan," the meeting between Raad and the Army Commander was seen as the "first real pulse between the two parties," as General Aoun represents "Plan B" for the party.
It is known that this meeting was closely monitored by Frangieh and the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, Deputy Gebran Bassil, who sought to know the content of the meeting. It is also known that the meeting drew external attention, especially from France, but the parties involved "strictly agreed to prevent any leaks," as the information mentioned. Speculation suggests that Raad posed "specific questions" to General Aoun during the meeting.
Meanwhile, after days in which Speaker Nabih Berri monopolized the political scene with a constitutionally questionable initiative, international and Arab diplomatic movements returned to Lebanon within the framework of the Quint Committee. With the arrival of the Qatari security envoy in Beirut today, reports, citing the French presidency as a source, suggest that President Emmanuel Macron is preparing to address the Lebanese presidential issue in a meeting scheduled for the coming Saturday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, on the sidelines of the G20 summit hosted by India this weekend. The expected French-Saudi meeting will serve as preparation for the visit of French Presidential Envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian to Lebanon next Monday.
While waiting to see the outcome of these movements and meetings, it appears that Berri is still playing solo with his initiative from the end of last month, and among the variations in his tune yesterday, what was conveyed by the initiative's owner is that his intention in calling for open sessions to elect a president was a "single session with multiple rounds," which means adherence to what the constitution dictates. However, information obtained by "Nidaa al-Watan" suggests that Berri's clarification only means that such a session is linked to knowing the voting trends. If they lean in favor of the Resistance candidate, Sleiman Frangieh, Berri will proceed with the session as planned. If the tendencies do not align in this direction, he will resort to the quorum game to disrupt the session.
How does the opposition view the fluctuating positions of the Speaker of Parliament?
A prominent source in the opposition responds through "Nidaa al-Watan" that it approaches Berri's initiative by distinguishing between dialogue and presidential elections, as stated in it.
He asks, "Why does Speaker Berri link the dialogue to the presidential election cycles? He was quoted as saying that the dialogue would take place with those who attend. Fine, let it happen. Whoever wants to participate in this dialogue can do so.
However, there is a group that does not want to participate because they consider it contrary to the constitution. They adhere to it and are keen on it and refuse to introduce new customs in addition to the customs that have been documented, unfortunately, since 2008 until today.
Whoever wants to participate in the dialogue can do so, and Berri should carry out his threat and hold the dialogue with those who attend. But then he should go on to announce that he is preparing for presidential elections. Otherwise, why link the two? Therefore, after the dialogue, Berri should proceed to a single session with consecutive electoral cycles to elect the president. The opposition will participate in the second part of the Speaker's initiative."
Therefore, let him call for a dialogue with those who attend, then tell the Lebanese people that he is eager to hold presidential elections. If Berri proceeds with the presidential elections by the constitution, his action will be commendable, and we encourage him to do so. It's worth noting that his team has been obstructing the elections and the constitution for the past 10 months.
The source concludes by saying “after the dialogue, let Berri go to a single session with consecutive electoral cycles to elect the president. The opposition will participate in the second part of the Parliament Speaker's initiative."
Among the fundamental positions that advocate for holding presidential elections without delay, away from the dialogue theatrics, is what was issued yesterday by the Maronite bishops after their monthly meeting chaired by Patriarch Bechara al-Rahi. The statement called on deputies to "bear their responsibilities and elect a new president for the Republic to complete the constitutional authorities, to save the country from financial and economic collapse, state disintegration, security threats, various attempts to control the national decision, and the brain drain abroad."
In addition, US Ambassador Dorothy Shea reiterated her "call to political leaders in Lebanon to elect a new president without any further delay."