The presidential process continues to revolve in a vicious circle, with no external initiatives except for the visit of the French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian to Lebanon, which was an exploratory tour devoid of any significant solutions. It will not have any impact on the stalled presidential file, which is expected to face further obstruction.

Sources within the Free Patriotic Movement confirm that they still maintain a convergence with the opposition regarding the nomination of Jihad Azour for the presidency. They consider the meeting with Le Drian to have been positive, discussing the presidential file in the context of rejecting any imposed actions by Hezbollah on Christians in particular and Lebanese people in general. They believe that the approach to the presidential file should not be driven by regional interests as desired by Hezbollah, as this behavior will ultimately not lead to the election of a president.
“The Free Patriotic Movement, through “Sawt Beirut International, rejects any exaggeration or sensationalism by the Shia duo. They have repeatedly attempted to interfere in the internal affairs of the movement, which is deemed unacceptable according to the sources. They affirm that as long as the Shia duo insists on nominating Sleiman Frangieh, the leader of the Marada Movement, we are heading towards further obstruction and prolonging the presidential vacuum. If the dialogue advocated by the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, is based on consensus around Frangieh, it is entirely rejected.”

For their part, opposition sources confirm their insistence on nominating Jihad Azour and consider him as a viable third option that can foster unity and convergence. They believe that the obstinacy of the Axis of Resistance team in nominating Frangieh was defeated in the session on June 14th. However, the Axis of Resistance team refuses to acknowledge their defeat, and this was communicated to the French envoy.

The opposition sources, through “Sawt Beirut International”, do not see any hopeful signs that the presidential file will be resolved as long as Berri continues to block the Parliament and refuses to call for an electoral session. They question why Berri does not convene consecutive sessions if Frangieh is capable of winning, according to the Axis of Resistance team.