Christian groups appear to be in favour of Jihad Azour running for president of Lebanon

 


On Sunday, it was reported that the Free Patriotic Movement, the Lebanese Forces, and the Lebanese Phalanges Party, the three main Christian parties in the Lebanese parliament, were nearing agreement on a presidential candidate.

The 57-year-old former finance minister Jihad Azour is one of the likely candidates mentioned for the position.

The International Monetary Fund's Middle East and Central Asia Department is now led by Azour. On the eve of his travel to Rome and Paris, Maronite Patriarch Bechara Al-Rahi may have alluded to the consensus in his sermon on Sunday.

Al-Rahi voiced the desire for a republican president to be chosen as soon as feasible so that the legal institutions could be set up.

"We thank God for what we hear about some consensus among parliamentary blocs regarding the future president," he continued, "so that he does not pose a challenge to anyone, and at the same time possesses a personality that responds to Lebanon's needs today and inspires internal and external confidence."

Al-Rahi believed that "chaos occurring at several levels" will soon come to an end as well. Sleiman Frangieh, the leader of the Marada Party and a close ally of the Syrian dictatorship, is supported for nomination by Hezbollah and the political coalition with which it is associated, but the majority of the Christian parliamentary blocs in Lebanon oppose him.

The potential of the Christian parliamentary blocs agreeing on Azour as their candidate prompted Mohammed Raad, the leader of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, to respond.

In a statement released on Sunday, Raad said that "the candidate whose name is circulating is a manoeuvring candidate whose mission is to confront the candidate we support and to undermine him."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sudan's Conflict Sparks Concerns Over Regional Stability

Image
  After months of increasing tension, an open military conflict erupted last week between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a powerful paramilitary group. This conflict is particularly alarming given that both groups were once close allies and had worked together to seize control of the country after ousting former President Omar al-Bashir in 2019. However, the relationship between the two groups has been deteriorating due to several reasons, including differing views on integrating the RSF into the military and a sensitive plan for a transition to civilian rule. The latest conflict has resulted in over 410 fatalities, with numerous hospitals going out of service and many people trapped in their homes. The situation has led to depleting essential supplies, and only a few humanitarian organizations are currently operating in Sudan . Countries like Germany, South Korea, and the US are struggling to find ways to evacuate their embassy staff, while ceasefires have not h
Read more

MPs from the opposition criticise Hezbollah's tactics

Image
  Three MPs from the Change movement (Waddah Sadek, Mark Daou, and Michel Doueihy) as well as members of the Kataeb Party, Lebanese Forces, and Renewal Party criticised the military exercises Hezbollah conducted last Sunday on Friday. These exercises, in which 200 Hezbollah fighters took part in Aaramta, southern Lebanon , according to a joint statement signed by 31 MPs and read in Parliament, "are part of the militia practises it has been exercising in the country for years, contradicting the principles of the state in all its components." According to their statement, Hezbollah "no longer has a place in Lebanese political life and has been rejected by the majority of Lebanese people." This party "cannot impose political, military, security, or economic agendas on the country" and "has no right whatsoever to push Lebanon into conflicts that serve its regional project," they stressed. Also declaring that "Lebanon cannot coexist with a mini-s
Read more

Iran celebrates Jerusalem Day in favour of the Palestinians

Image
  For Jerusalem Day, an annual demonstration of sympathy for the Palestinians, tens of thousands of Iranians marched through Tehran's centre on Friday as others shouted "death to America" and "death to Israel ." President Ebrahim Raisi and other senior Iranian leaders were present during the gathering. The protests commemorating what is also known as Al-Quds Day have generally been conducted on the final Friday of the holy month of Ramadan since Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979. East Jerusalem was taken by Israel during the Middle East War of 1967 and added to its capital. The Palestinians want Jerusalem's eastern sector to serve as their future capital. The Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, is located in Jerusalem. The complex, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, is also considered to be the holiest place in Judaism. Mohammad Qalibaf, the speaker of the parliament, told protesters that Israel is the "root" of the issues in the a
Read more