BEIRUT – Prime Minister Tammam Salam said that he wants Lebanon’s new head of state to be a consensual president.
“I prefer that a moderate and poised person who is accepted by everyone and can deal with everyone would run for president,” Salam said on Saturday during an interview on Radio Monte Carlo.
The premier’s comments came a day after the Lebanese Forces announced that the Christian party’s leader, Samir Geagea, would seek the office of presidency.
LF deputy leader MP George Adwan said in a press conference Friday that Geagea’s candidacy would put an end to “the habit of choosing neutral candidates who have no political stance.”
Lebanon is set to elect a new head of state prior to the end of President Michel Suleiman’s mandate, which expires on May 25, to avoid any presidential vacuum.
The constitution stipulates that between March 25 and May 15, the parliament can convene at any time to elect a new president.
If it has not done so by May 15, the parliament will be considered automatically in session for the following 10 days, in which a new president must be elected.
Meanwhile, the prime minister stressed that the Lebanese government is adamant about the dissociation policy “because it is the best policy.”
He added that the “deteriorating” security situation in the country “reached an unacceptable level.”
Salam then highlighted that controlling security is Lebanon’s “priority” given the economic prosperity that stability will entail.
“If security becomes stable, the economy will recover. If security is restored, the economic activity will be revived, and this is what we hope for.”
“But this will take time,” Salam added.
Source: Now Lebanon