"We need a presidential election in Lebanon as soon as possible"

Head of the Lebanese Forces party Samir Geagea has stressed readiness to do all that is necessary to hold the presidential elections the soonest, asserting that the presidency is not a consolation prize.

The LF leader made his remarks at the annual dinner of the Lebanese Forces’ Aley office in Maarab.

“All we want is for the next head of state to be a president in the true sense of the word,” he stressed.

“We will not accept the election of a president who will allow the current situation to persist,” Geagea insisted, stressing that the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 is not linked to the top post.

He took the opportunity to explain the duties of the future president.

Geagea added the president is “who will have to rebuild the state and who will be responsible for implementing reforms.” He must also be “the one who has no relations with the political parties that were in power during the previous period, especially as they are responsible for the current situation.”

Regarding the extension of the term in office of the Army’s Commander-in-Chief, General Joseph Aoun, Geagea stressed that “the Lebanese Forces were not the only ones fighting for this, but they were at the origin of this initiative, and they played a central role in achieving this objective to maintain stability within the military institution and the security forces.”

When asked why the LF had not exerted the same pressure regarding the presidential elections, Geagea affirmed that the party was deploying every possible effort to ensure that the elections take place as soon as possible.

He added that the LF is not requesting a specific candidate and is not seeking ministerial portfolios.

Since 2019, Lebanon has been grappling with an unprecedented economic and financial crisis amid a months-long vacuum at the top state post.