The Lebanese Debate: The Controversial Candidacy of Jihad Azour and Its Impact on Lebanon’s Political Scene

Suddenly, the former minister, Jihad Azour, the son of the regime and the spoiled child of President Fouad Siniora and his clever student, turned into the candidate of the sovereign opposition forces to confront the candidate of the opposition axis, the head of the “Marada” movement, Suleiman Franjieh.

This new equation, despite doubts about its validity and seriousness, calls for swift action to save the remaining seriousness and credibility in the Lebanese political action. And why does someone familiar with what is going on behind the scenes not come out to explain to us how Azour became a sovereign salvation candidate, who is accepted by the majority of the opposition forces!

During one of the meetings that took place last week, deputies from the “Change” bloc presented a clear and frank review, which touched on Azour’s candidacy, considering that he is rejected in form and in content, and that he is part of the system that led us to hell, and that his brother is one of the major contractors who benefited from the country’s bounties. before its ruin.

The position of “change” on Azour is not surprising, but what is surprising is the possibility that the head of the “Lebanese Forces” party, Samir Geagea, and the head of the Lebanese Phalange Party, Sami Gemayel, would accept Azour’s nomination, and he was the one who provided guarantees to “Hezbollah” and sought his satisfaction the most.

However, it seems that President Siniora still has a great influence on Geagea, and he may have managed to persuade him to adopt the candidacy of his student, companion, and partner in the $11 billion novel. It seems that “Al-Hakim” loves to fall into the traps of Gibran Bassil. After the Maarab agreement and the “current” coup against the “forces”, Geagea may again be a victim of the “presidential” mines that Bassil planted in front of Maarab’s palace.

In politics, and if Azour is indeed the opposition candidate in the face of Franjieh, then his accession to the presidency is impossible as a result of the party’s “veto” on him, despite his frequent visits to Haret Hreik several times and his provision of the necessary guarantees related to the party’s weapons and the role of the resistance.

However, prominent parliamentary sources do not rule out that Azour is the candidate who will be the director to secure a quorum for Suleiman Franjieh’s election session. Instead of the Shiite duo searching for 86 deputies to attend the election session, all political parties are engaged in the electoral battle with two candidates (Franjieh and Azour), and the victory will definitely go to the leader of the “Marada”, so that the latter will be crowned president of the republic in front of the representatives of the “forces”.