Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Tuesday hit back at both Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and Speaker Nabih Berri and said that the FPM “will not recognize the legitimacy of the resigned government” should there be a presidential vacuum.
“We stress that the caretaker cabinet cannot convene or practice the president’s powers. This would lead to constitutional chaos,” Bassil warned in a press conference that followed a meeting for the FPM’s political council.
“We will not recognize the legitimacy of the resigned government following the end of the president’s term and we will consider it to be usurping power and illegitimate at the parliamentary, constitutional, National Pact and popular levels, even if the entire world agrees to support it against us,” the FPM chief cautioned.
Criticizing caretaker PM and PM-designate Najib Mikati, Bassil said: “The PM revealed his intention in the past to some ministers and yesterday he openly announced that he can assume the president’s powers.”
Hitting back at Berri, Bassil said that “in the event of vacuum, every minister in the government would be a ‘president.’”
“You will find several ‘Michel Aouns’ in the government,” he added.
“The government’s formation does not prevent the election of a president and they must both happen,” Bassil went on to say.
And snapping back at Geagea, Bassil stressed that “Michel Aoun will not exit history nor people’s hearts.”
“They are trying to make people forget that they were militia warlords who destroyed Lebanon,” Bassil added.
Geagea “still doesn’t know how to count his bloc’s members and (Berri) has blamed the electricity crisis on the regulatory committee,” he said.
“One should be part of history in order to be able to expel others from it and his history should be one other than the killing of children, premiers, leaders, clergymen, relatives and honorable fighters,” Bassil added, referring to Geagea.
He also accused Berri of “looting funds inside the country” and Geagea of “receiving political money from abroad.”
- 12 hours ago
Bassil: One should be part of history in order to be able to expel others from it and his history should be one other than the killing of children, premiers, leaders, clergymen, relatives and honorable fighters.
- 12 hours ago
Bassil: Lebanon should not be part of an axis against another.
- 12 hours ago
Bassil: In the face of hatred speeches, we have a vision and a salvation project for Lebanon.
- 12 hours ago
Bassil: We call for national dialogue to elect a president.
- 12 hours ago
Bassil: (Geagea) still doesn’t know how to count his bloc’s members and (Berri) has blamed the electricity crisis on the regulatory committee.
- 12 hours ago
Bassil: They are trying to make people forget that they were militia warlords who destroyed Lebanon.
- 12 hours ago
Bassil: Michel Aoun will not exit history nor people’s hearts.
- 12 hours ago
Bassil: The only way to prevent presidential vacuum would be direct voting by the people in two rounds.
- 12 hours ago
Bassil: The priority remains for the election of a president.
- 12 hours ago
Bassil: The government’s formation does not prevent the election of a president and they must both happen.
- 12 hours ago
Bassil: You will find several “Michel Aouns” in the government.
- 12 hours ago
Bassil: In the event of vacuum, every minister in the government would be a “president.”
- 12 hours ago
Bassil: There should be a government.
- 12 hours ago
Bassil: We won’t recognize the legitimacy of the resigned government after the end of the president’s term.
- 12 hours ago
Bassil: We stress that the caretaker cabinet cannot convene or practice the president’s powers. This would lead to constitutional chaos.
- 12 hours ago
Bassil: The PM revealed his intention in the past to some ministers and yesterday he openly announced that he can assume the president’s powers.
- 12 hours ago
Bassil: The Lebanese judiciary must ask European countries to freeze the assets of Riad Salameh, which are the assets of the Lebanese.
- 12 hours ago
Bassil: We want to liberate the “captives” in the port blast case, no matter what it takes.
- 12 hours ago
Bassil: The judiciary is impeding itself in two major cases — the port blast and financial crimes.
- 12 hours ago
Bassil: Riad Salameh has bought half of the country — politicians, journalists and judges.
- 12 hours ago
Bassil: Those protecting Riad Salameh are seeking to protect themselves.
- 12 hours ago
Bassil: The entire establishment does not want the approval of the capital control law.
- 12 hours ago
Bassil: Amid this crisis, they are preventing financial reform from taking place.
- 12 hours ago
Bassil: We are living in the “they have not allowed us” system.
- 12 hours ago
Bassil: We call for a system based on a civil state and broad administrative decentralization.
- 13 hours ago
Bassil: The FPM calls for national dialogue that would lead to a unifying national project.
- 13 hours ago
Bassil: Some parties do not want a state nor a Greater Lebanon.