Gebran Bassil

Gemayel: Berri Is Torn Between Opposing Alliances

Leader of the Kataeb party Sami Gemayel asserted that Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, whom he accuses of obstructing the presidential election, is attempting to balance his alliance with Hezbollah and his relations with the United States. "Berri cannot go against the Americans, as he has interests in the United States where members of his ...

The FPM Will Vote – or Not – to Postpone Municipal Elections

On Tuesday, the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, Gebran Bassil, denied rumors of a deal with the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri. According to some reports, Berri's Amal movement had asked engineers among its supporters to vote for the FPM candidate for president of the Order of Engineers, Fadi Hanna, in exchange for a vote by Bassil's ...

A New Member of the “Anti-Bassil Club”

After being elected vice president of the Free Patriotic Movement, sources close to the Aounist party indicate that May Khreish left the ranks of the FPM and submitted her resignation to join the group of supporters of former President Michel Aoun who had left the orange formation, as they no longer recognized themselves in him after he abandoned ...

Presidential Talks: Quintet Ambassadors Conclude First Round

The ambassadors of the quintet committee (United States, France, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Qatar) continued on Thursday their meetings with various Lebanese parties and officials, which they had started on Tuesday, aiming to unblock the presidential election. Egyptian Ambassador Alaa Moussa announced that the quintet "concluded on Thursday the ...

Bassil Warns Against Syrians Replacing Lebanese

The leader of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), MP Gebran Bassil, lashed out at the European Union for offering Lebanon one billion euros in exchange for keeping displaced Syrians, describing the move as an “attempt to replace the Lebanese with Syrians.” At a press conference on Saturday, Bassil stressed that the financial aid offered by the ...

Bassil Will Not Meet Jean-Yves Le Drian Next Wednesday

According to Al-Jadeed media channel, sources within the Free Patriotic Movement announced that the head of the movement, MP Gebran Bassil, apologized for his inability to host the French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian next Wednesday due to a prior commitment to a foreign visit. It is worth mentioning that during Le Drian's last visit to ...

Bassil Visits Rai to Talk About Presidency

Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) chief Gebran Bassil said that the real fear is “laxity with regard to the presidential vacancy, and this issue must be separated from the others.” After meeting with Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai, Bassil stated that “there is a process aimed at preventing and blocking the election of a president of the ...

Presidency: Further Initiatives Hinge on Shiite Duo’s Position

The saga of the presidential election in Lebanon keeps unfolding with a series of initiatives that have yet to translate into tangible outcomes. The five-nation Quintet Committee (France, US, Qatar, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia) is in full swing, in parallel to Qatar's own initiative and the efforts of the French presidential envoy, Jean-Yves Le Drian. ...

Presidential Elections: Bassil's Position Is Divisive

Launched on Monday, the initiative of the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), Gebran Bassil, which is in line with that of the Amal-Hezbollah tandem for unlocking the presidential deadlock, has raised strong reservations within opposition circles. However, it enjoys the support of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), which is engaged in ...

Presidential Election: Frangieh Wary of the Dialogue

Many political forces, particularly the opposition led by the Lebanese Forces (LF), are aiming to replicate the presidential election scenario of June 14, 2023. In that election session, Sleiman Frangieh, leader of the Marada Movement who is backed by the Hezbollah-Amal duo, received 51 votes, while Dr. Jihad Azour, the candidate supported by the ...

South Lebanon and Presidential Election: Zaki in Beirut for a Two-Day Mission

Deputy Secretary-General of the Arab League Hossam Zaki held talks with Lebanese officials on Wednesday, during a visit aiming to prevent an escalation of the military conflict between Israel and Hezbollah and help end the presidential deadlock. Zaki arrived in Beirut on Tuesday for a two-day mission at the request of League Secretary-General ...