The Future Movement’s audience was confused since all of the party flags were raised, except for the blue one. Will Saad Hariri be one of the candidates running for Lebanon’s 2022 elections?

In an article published by Gulf News, journalist Sami Moubayed asked this question.

“Will Saad Hariri abstain from the next parliamentary elections?” it asks.

The writer believes that during Prime Minister Fouad Sanioura’s meeting with Hariri, the latter stated that he would announce his position upon his return to Beirut, and that he had previously stated to partisans and supporters that they could run as independents if the Blue Movement did not participate in the elections.

In his piece, the author also says:

“If Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Fouad Siniora, and well-known Sunni figures like Nohad Al-Machnouk and Tammam Salam won’t be candidates for the elections, only Abdel Rahim Murad, Faisal Karami, and Najib Mikati will be left as candidates.”

It is also likely that the reasons for not running for candidacy are due to a lack of funding. Hariri said in an interview on Al-Jadeed TV: “I was a millionaire, but I am no longer.”

The emerging role of Saad Hariri’s brother, Bahaa Rafic Hariri’s on the Lebanese arena through numerous channels is the most crucial cause for Saad Rafic Hariri’s withdrawal from the Sunni arena.

The article discussed Bahaa Rafic Hariri’s rise to political prominence as a result of his support for Sunni candidates in the elections, especially former figures in the Future Movement.

He continues by claiming that, unlike Saad Hariri, Bahaa Hariri carefully invested his father’s money. According to Forbes magazine, his net worth is above $2 billion, and he is following the footsteps of his father, the martyr Rafic Hariri, by supporting educational, development, and humanitarian activities.

“Bahaa Rafic Hariri, a graduate of Boston University, has strong sentiments denouncing Hezbollah’s strategy, and the clear beginning of his positions was when he stated his support for the October 17 revolution in 2019, which destroyed his brother’s government,” the writer highlighted.

According to the article, advertisements for the “Sawa Li Lubnan” campaign have been seen across Lebanon, with Saad Hariri closing the newspaper and Future TV, at a time during which Bahaa Hariri is launching “Sawt Beirut International.”

He also hired the CT Group, a political consulting firm, to create an electoral road map.

In addition to its main office in downtown Beirut, Sawa Li Lubnan presently launched over 10 offices around the country.

The author closes his essay by stating that Bahaa Hariri will not run for elections, preferring instead to back his supporters and allies to win a chair in the Parliament scene, thus, pave the way for his election later.

Given that this is Saad Hariri’s most difficult time, it is preferable for him to wait and observe rather than engage in a tough-to-win war.