It has become crystal clear that the President of the Republic Michel Aoun was promoting his son-in-law Gebran Bassil to the Presidency, when he said frankly that he has raised him, and denied the political class’s refusal to recognize him. Aoun had obstructed the formation of previous governments in order to provide Bassil a ministerial portfolio with the help of Hezbollah.

It seems that Hezbollah is no longer able to bear the burden of Gebran Bassil and carry out crippling battles for his sake, because the “party” considers that it has returned the favor for Aoun by bringing him to Baabda, therefore, the matter is different with Gebran Bassil.

Bassil’s contradictory positions since Aoun assumed the presidency and his rush to attack allies before opponents every time, represents an obstacle for gaining the bilateral support for the presidency. The support of the expected presidential candidate depends on the results of the upcoming parliamentary elections. When Hezbollah supported Aoun to the presidency, he was the head of the largest Parliamentary bloc.

In this context, well-informed sources said to Sawt Beirut International (SBI) that they expect the Free Patriotic Movement to lose a significant number of seats in the parliamentary elections that will be held next May, after losing its popularity in the Christian Street in favor of the Lebanese Forces Party and other Christian parties.

The same sources revealed that Aoun tried to obtain a pledge from Hezbollah to support Bassil’s candidacy for the Presidency in the upcoming presidential elections, in exchange for making concessions that would lead to reviving the work of the stalled government and the removal of the Judicial Investigator in the port explosion case, Judge Tarek Bitar, but the party did not accept this bargain.

The sources stressed that Hezbollah looks to Bassil as an element of tension and cannot be relied upon, confirming that the name of the head of the Marada movement, Sleiman Franjieh, has become strongly proposed to the presidency after the end of Aoun’s era.

The source added, “Bassil’s recent behavior has urged Hezbollah to abandon his candidacy for the presidency, because Bassil cannot be guaranteed, and the coming stage requires for Hezbollah a President with clear specifications in terms of the course that the party is going through. Therefore, Hezbollah considers Sleiman Franjieh a suitable candidate who meets the requirements of the “party”.