The leader of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea, at the headquarters of his party in Meerab. (Photo provided by the LF)
BEIRUT — The leader of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea, said on Saturday evening that his party "will not allow" the Hezbollah camp to "impose" a candidate for the presidency.
"They will not enter Baabda!" he exclaimed, referring to the Presidential Palace in Baabda, during a speech given at an event commemorating LF victims who fought the Syrian army in Zahle, Bekaa Valley, in 1981, the state-run National News Agency reported.
"We did not allow them to impose a presidential candidate on us, and we will not allow it," Geagea emphasized, referring to Hezbollah.
The Hezbollah-Amal tandem supports Sleiman Frangieh, leader of the Marada Movement, for the presidency. Lebanon has been without a president since Oct. 31, 2022, with MPs repeatedly failing to elect a successor to Michel Aoun.
Geagea also said that his party "is pressuring the government to immediately implement Resolution 1701 and deploy the Lebanese Army" in southern Lebanon "to save Lebanon from the worst." This UN Security Council resolution ended an armed conflict in 2006 between Israel and Hezbollah.
"We must multiply efforts to overcome the difficult economic circumstances" that Lebanon is going through," added the LF leader. "The fight must also continue for the choice of the Lebanese to return to the Lebanese, through the state. It is true that the region around us is explosive, but we must maintain efforts to keep our country away from the danger of these events," he said, as Hezbollah maintains a tense front in the south, exchanging cross-border fire almost daily with Israel since Oct. 8, 2023, following the Oct. 7 attacks by the Palestinian group Hamas on Israeli territory.
Audi denounces corruption
On Sunday, the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Beirut, Elias Audi, also addressed the presidential election: "It is distressing and harmful that Lebanon has been without a president for almost two years now, and even more distressing that MPs, representatives of the people, are not making enough efforts to apply the constitution and elect a president," he criticized. "The leaders of this country have indulged in corruption, exploitation, and crime. They have only washed their hands of the country's situation because for them, their responsibility is only a seat, earthly glory," he said.