BEIRUT: Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea Sunday accused the March 8 bloc of targeting the presidential seat in a clear bid at blaming his rivals in the Free Patriotic Movement of thwarting the election by ditching Parliament sessions.
Speaking in a video conference at the LF’s annual reception dinner in Sydney, Australia, Geagea expressed surprise at how “the one who carried the banner of Christians’ rights for years and tried to dupe the people with this, is now targeting the top presidential seat in the country.”
Geagea said such actions weaken the state, drain the presidential seat, and involve foreign and outside factors, adding that his party refused a compromise president, whom he said would be “without color, without taste, without smell, will not take a decision and will not have an agenda.”
Speaking at the conference, which was attended by a number of March 14 and Australian officials, Geagea said the March 8 bloc should have nominated a candidate, and the absence of its members at the Parliament sessions made the process “undemocratic.” He also said the rival group was aiming at weakening the state.
The LF also traded blame with Hezbollah Sunday for the delay in electing a president.
Some of the March 8 lawmakers, primarily MPs with FPM leader Michel Aoun’s Change and Reform bloc, have boycotted the last two Parliament sessions to elect a new president in a bid to pressure their rivals to agree on a consensus candidate, while the March 14 coalition has stood by Geagea’s nomination so far.
Aoun’s MPs have said that the sessions were fruitless in the absence of an agreement on a single nominee.
The fourth Parliament session scheduled for Thursday is expected to be adjourned for a lack of quorum as March 8 lawmakers look to be adamant on another boycott.
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