Lebanon’s political turmoil continues as the presidential vacuum began in October 2022. The Lebanese Forces party, led by Samir Geagea, has changed its stance regarding participating in election sessions and obstructing quorum.
Initially, Geagea firmly believed that no group had the right to obstruct the democratic process and the presidential election under the banner of democratic rights. He stated that they would attend all sessions and that blocking the quorum continuously was not a viable option.
However, a few weeks later, Geagea’s position changed. He stated that if the opposing group could secure 65 votes to elect their candidate, they would only obstruct the quorum for one session.
In a recent statement, Geagea changed his position once again dramatically. He declared that the party would only participate in the election sessions under one condition: If the opposing group cannot secure the required 65 votes to elect their candidate, they will attend and ensure the quorum to confirm that their candidate does not have the necessary votes.
However, if they sense that Hezbollah and its allies have the 65 votes required to elect their candidate, they will not participate. Geagea added that they would obstruct the quorum required, 86 votes, without needing the Free Patriotic Movement’s MPs.
The question now is how the Lebanese Forces and its allies will secure the required 43 votes to obstruct the quorum for electing Frangieh and whether they can do so.
Source: lbcgroup
