Hezbollah's Backing of Suleiman Franjieh for Lebanon's President: New Phase in Standoff
Date
3/15/2023 7:10:19 AM
(MENAFN) Last week, Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, officially endorsed Suleiman Franjieh as Lebanon's next president. This endorsement, however, does not necessarily mean that an election is imminent. In fact, the move marks a new phase in the standoff over the presidency, which has been vacant since May 2014.
For months, Hezbollah had made it clear that it supported Franjieh, but members of parliament did not put his name on the ballot during election sessions. This ambiguous position left Franjieh's Political viability in question, prompting Hezbollah and the Amal Movement to change their tactics. Parliament speaker and Amal leader, Nabih Berri, publicly supported Franjieh before Nasrallah's endorsement.
One rationale for this move may be to prevent Franjieh from losing political ground. Another reason could be to signal support for him while acknowledging that he does not have the necessary votes to be elected at present. Under Lebanon's constitution, a candidate must receive a two-thirds majority to win in the first round of voting, followed by an absolute majority of 65 votes. Franjieh currently has an estimated 57 votes.
However, Franjieh's situation may be worse than it appears. The day after Nasrallah's endorsement, the Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, Walid Bukhari, visited the Maronite patriarch, Bechara Al Rai, to express Saudi opposition to Franjieh's candidacy. Presidents in Lebanon come from the Maronite Christian community, making the visit to the patriarch significant.
The presidency has remained vacant due to political disagreements between the different sectarian groups in Lebanon. Hezbollah and its allies have been calling for Franjieh's election, while their opponents have opposed his candidacy. Franjieh is a close friend of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which has caused concern among some of his opponents.
The endorsement of Franjieh by Hezbollah and Amal signals a more assertive stance by these two groups, but it is not clear how this move will impact the overall political situation in Lebanon. The presidency remains a symbol of power in the country, and the failure to elect a president has led to a power vacuum that has hindered the government's ability to address the country's problems.
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