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Government Presidency File Threatens Aoun’s Chances to Become President | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Lebanese Christian leader Michel Aoun arrives at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, near Beirut, to attend a new session of the national dialogue in 2015. Photo: Reuters


Beirut – Head of Change and Reform parliamentary bloc General Michel Aoun barely crosses the road bombs leading to the Presidential Palace to face a new barrage, which alludes there is a decision to prevent any internal election before a clear picture discloses what could happen in the region, and particularly in Syria.

At the eve of rumors about an announcement expected by president of the Future Movement MP Saad Hariri to adopt the candidacy of Aoun for the presidential post, March 8 sources close to the so-called Hezbollah and the Syrian regime came out and placed the file of the next prime minister on the table, hinting that they would reject the comeback of Hariri to the Serail.

This position threatens the chances of Aoun to become president and paves the way for a new phase of institutional vacuums from which Lebanon has been suffering for the past two and half years.

Secretary General of the so-called Hezbollah party, Hassan Nasrallah had repeatedly announced, even if indirectly, his openness to the idea of handing the prime minister post to Hariri, in case an agreement is reached on the presidential candidacy of Aoun.

“In case an agreement is reached on the president, we will be open to the issue presidency of the next government.”

However, a source from the March 8 forces who is close to the party told Asharq Al-Awsat that Nasrallah’s comments means that “he is open to discussing the issue, but he has not said a decision or promise was taken in this regard.”

The source ruled out the appearance of a new President in the near future.

“All internal files are frozen awaiting a regional decision. And therefore, the appointment of Hariri as the next prime minister, which is the most important post in Lebanon, would not happen in the existing circumstances,” the source added.

In the past few days, several parties close to the so-called Hezbollah and the Syrian regime have been calling on Hariri to take new positions regarding the Syrian file and some regional states, in addition to the issue of the party’s weapons and its participation in the fighting in Syria.

Ahmad Fatfat, an MP with the Future Movement said: “Hezbollah is using the issue of the prime minister and other papers to disable the presidency and all state institutions, based on a clear order from the Iranians.”

Fatfat told Asharq al-Awsat that Iran was using the Lebanese file as a trading paper in any future negotiations.

“There is a hazy atmosphere” surrounding the next session to elect a new president on Oct. 31, Pascal Monin, an international and political affairs professor at Universite Saint Joseph in Beirut told Asharq Al-Awsat.