Geagea backs Aoun as Lebanon president
Dramatic shift of position counters Hariri’s backing of Franjieh
Lebanese Christian politician Samir Geagea announced his backing of arch rival Michel Aoun for the presidency yesterday in an apparent break with his Saudi-backed allies that aligns him with a civil war era enemy supported by Hezbollah.
The two Christian leaders appeared together at a press conference at Geagea’s stronghold in Ma’areb.
The move boosts Aoun’s chances of filling the presidency that has been vacant for 20 months, but does not guarantee him the post.
Beyond his existing allies, among them the Iranbacked Hezbollah, Aoun still needs the backing of other groups to secure the necessary parliamentary backing.
Although speculation has been circulating that Geagea may nominate Aoun for several weeks, few expected the move to occur so quickly, even if Lebanese Forces and Free Patriotic Movement officials recently intensified their shuttle visits back and forth between Rabieh and Ma‘arab, the two leaders’ official residences.
United front
What finally prompted Geagea to throw support behind his wartime enemy, Aoun, was rather complicated and may create fresh twists to the March 8 coalition to finally ensure parliamentary quorum and elect a head of state.
Indeed, both men were united in their opposition to the recent initiative made by Sunni March 8 leader Saad Hariri to nominate Marada Movement deputy Sulaiman Franjieh to become president.
Franjieh, an unabashed backer of the Syrian regime in Damascus, was a nonstarter candidate for many Christians in Lebanon even if the manoeuvre was perceived by some as a Hariri effort to break the stalemate.
Aoun is supported by Hezbollah and its March 8 allies for the presidency, while Geagea has until today been the official March 14 coalition’s candidate.
It was unclear whether Geagea cleared his move with Hariri though tensions lingered. In the event, Geagea’s move nullified the Franjieh candidacy, and made the latter look like a mere pawn.
Likewise, the Geagea manoeuvre ends the kingmaker role for Walid Junblatt of the Progressive Socialist Party, who fielded Henry Helou as a putative candidate.
What will happen next is anyone’s guess although Hezbollah, which considered Aoun as its own candidate, could no longer boycott either parliamentary session or cabinet meetings to elect a president and attend to the country’s needs.
The Lebanese president, who must be a Maronite Christian, is elected by parliament.
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