Ahead of the Lebanese Parliament's session to elect the president, which is scheduled to be held today, Thursday, January 10, the names of the final 10 candidates for voting in the country's parliament will probably be presented, while "Sleiman Franjieh", the candidate supported by the Amal Movement and Hezbollah, has withdrawn from the competition.
Publish dateThursday 9 January 2025 - 11:10
Story Code : 304249
Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): Today (Thursday, January ۹), the Lebanese Parliament will hold a session to elect the country's new president. It is said that 10 people will probably be presented to the parliament floor in this session.
This is while last night, "Sleiman Franjieh", the head of the "Al-Mardah" movement, who was considered the candidate supported by the Amal Movement and Hezbollah for the past year, withdrew from the elections in favor of General "Joseph Aoun".
According to Lebanese law, the names of the candidates must be presented by one of the parliamentary factions in the country's parliament, so that after his name is proposed, the deputies can vote. The person who can obtain the approval of two-thirds of the 128-member parliament, equivalent to 86 votes in the first round, will become president.
According to Lebanese sources, 10 people whose names are likely to be raised in the parliament today:
1. Joseph Aoun: The commander of the Lebanese army, who is considered the first chance in this election and is supported by the US embassy. France and Egypt also support him, because he considers himself committed to implementing the 1701 agreement. In recent days, the Saudis have also supported him. It is expected that the Democratic Encounter faction, headed by Timor Jumblatt, will introduce his name in the parliament as the faction's candidate for the presidency, but despite all this, there are serious objections to him, and some political groups, including the Free National Movement (Al-Tayyar al-Watani al-Hur) (National Free Movement) headed by Gebran Bassil, consider him incapable of creating a balance between political forces in Lebanon.
2. Elias Al-Bissari is the head of the Lebanese security apparatus. Of course, none of the factions have officially announced that they will nominate him as one of the candidates in today's meeting. However, surveys indicate that the Free National Movement is likely to do so. Al-Bissari is supported by Qatar, and it seems that after Suleiman Franjieh, the candidate supported by Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, withdrew from the elections in favor of Joseph Aoun, Al-Bissari will be the candidate supported by Lebanese Shiites in the competition with Joseph Aoun.
3. Jihad Azour is the third person to compete with Suleiman Franjieh, the candidate supported by Shiites at that time, in the June 2023 elections and won 59 votes. Azour was the Lebanese Minister of Finance and is now the Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department of the International Monetary Fund. It is said that in the new circumstances, he may support him in the final competition with Joseph Aoun.
4. Although Samir Geagea has not officially spoken about running for president of Lebanon, in recent days the Forces faction has been calling for his candidacy. The Forces faction is considered the largest Christian and Maronite faction in Lebanon, and its representatives are from the Lebanese Forces party, headed by Samir Geagea's daughter. Hezbollah has emphasized that it opposes Geagea's presidency and will only use its veto on this option.
The four candidates mentioned above are considered the main chances of entering the Baabda Palace, but according to reports, six other candidates will also be proposed as presidential candidates in today's session, but due to the lack of foreign support, they cannot be given much chance.
1. Ibrahim Kanaan, who is the head of the Finance Commission in the Lebanese Parliament and was a member of the Free National Movement in the past and had split from this Christian party and is now an independent candidate.
2. George Khoury, a retired general in the Lebanese army who is also an ambassador and will be introduced by the Maronite Archbishop and Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri in today's session.
3. Neema Efraim, a member of the Lebanese Parliament who has good relations with Lebanese parties and is also supported by the Maronite Archbishop.
4. Farid Khazen, a member of the "Al-Mardeh" movement who is a member of the same party as Suleiman Franjieh, a former candidate supported by Hezbollah and the Amal Movement and who also has good relations with the Archbishop.
5. Samir Assaf has recently announced his intention to run for election. He is a bank manager in Lebanon and was previously a candidate for the presidency of the Central Bank of Lebanon.
6. Ziad Baroud, who was the Minister of Interior of Lebanon in 2008 and is considered a judicial and legal figure in Lebanon and entered the parliament from the National Free Movement list, but due to his differences with some important Maronite and Christian figures, he will have little chance in today's session.
This is while last night, "Sleiman Franjieh", the head of the "Al-Mardah" movement, who was considered the candidate supported by the Amal Movement and Hezbollah for the past year, withdrew from the elections in favor of General "Joseph Aoun".
According to Lebanese law, the names of the candidates must be presented by one of the parliamentary factions in the country's parliament, so that after his name is proposed, the deputies can vote. The person who can obtain the approval of two-thirds of the 128-member parliament, equivalent to 86 votes in the first round, will become president.
According to Lebanese sources, 10 people whose names are likely to be raised in the parliament today:
1. Joseph Aoun: The commander of the Lebanese army, who is considered the first chance in this election and is supported by the US embassy. France and Egypt also support him, because he considers himself committed to implementing the 1701 agreement. In recent days, the Saudis have also supported him. It is expected that the Democratic Encounter faction, headed by Timor Jumblatt, will introduce his name in the parliament as the faction's candidate for the presidency, but despite all this, there are serious objections to him, and some political groups, including the Free National Movement (Al-Tayyar al-Watani al-Hur) (National Free Movement) headed by Gebran Bassil, consider him incapable of creating a balance between political forces in Lebanon.
2. Elias Al-Bissari is the head of the Lebanese security apparatus. Of course, none of the factions have officially announced that they will nominate him as one of the candidates in today's meeting. However, surveys indicate that the Free National Movement is likely to do so. Al-Bissari is supported by Qatar, and it seems that after Suleiman Franjieh, the candidate supported by Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, withdrew from the elections in favor of Joseph Aoun, Al-Bissari will be the candidate supported by Lebanese Shiites in the competition with Joseph Aoun.
3. Jihad Azour is the third person to compete with Suleiman Franjieh, the candidate supported by Shiites at that time, in the June 2023 elections and won 59 votes. Azour was the Lebanese Minister of Finance and is now the Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department of the International Monetary Fund. It is said that in the new circumstances, he may support him in the final competition with Joseph Aoun.
4. Although Samir Geagea has not officially spoken about running for president of Lebanon, in recent days the Forces faction has been calling for his candidacy. The Forces faction is considered the largest Christian and Maronite faction in Lebanon, and its representatives are from the Lebanese Forces party, headed by Samir Geagea's daughter. Hezbollah has emphasized that it opposes Geagea's presidency and will only use its veto on this option.
The four candidates mentioned above are considered the main chances of entering the Baabda Palace, but according to reports, six other candidates will also be proposed as presidential candidates in today's session, but due to the lack of foreign support, they cannot be given much chance.
1. Ibrahim Kanaan, who is the head of the Finance Commission in the Lebanese Parliament and was a member of the Free National Movement in the past and had split from this Christian party and is now an independent candidate.
2. George Khoury, a retired general in the Lebanese army who is also an ambassador and will be introduced by the Maronite Archbishop and Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri in today's session.
3. Neema Efraim, a member of the Lebanese Parliament who has good relations with Lebanese parties and is also supported by the Maronite Archbishop.
4. Farid Khazen, a member of the "Al-Mardeh" movement who is a member of the same party as Suleiman Franjieh, a former candidate supported by Hezbollah and the Amal Movement and who also has good relations with the Archbishop.
5. Samir Assaf has recently announced his intention to run for election. He is a bank manager in Lebanon and was previously a candidate for the presidency of the Central Bank of Lebanon.
6. Ziad Baroud, who was the Minister of Interior of Lebanon in 2008 and is considered a judicial and legal figure in Lebanon and entered the parliament from the National Free Movement list, but due to his differences with some important Maronite and Christian figures, he will have little chance in today's session.
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