Lebanese opposition forces are gearing up to confront President Michel Aoun and his cabinet, particularly with the return of Future Movement leader Saad Hariri to Lebanon from Paris on Friday.
“These parties could again unite under one political framework, at least for the current time, and therefore, recover the role they played when they were known under the name of the March 14 forces,” a source told Asahrq Al-Awsat.
He explained that with the return of Hariri to Beirut, those forces could increase the level of coordination to face Aoun’s “Strong Term” and the government of Prime Minister Hassan Diab.
“There are currently contacts between Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea in this regard,” the source said.
Asharq Al-Awsat learned that the PSP and LF parties are currently studying several files to confront the government and Aoun, which they accuse of planning a coup against the banking sector in Lebanon.
The political source said that opposition forces are preparing to boost contacts between Geagea and Hariri, who should move over their differences to face the current stage.
The source said the defensive campaign launched in the past hours by Aoun and Diab to whitewash the image of the government, failed to mark any goals, particularly in light of the cabinet’s inability to achieve on single promise despite being in power for more than three months.
The source said that Aoun has lashed out on Thursday at politicians who criticize the work of the government in an attempt to hold his former allies the burden of destroying the state and its institutions, and of standing behind the massive public debt in the country.
Therefore, Aoun returned to square one by repeating the same political rhetoric he adopted immediately following the collapse of his deal with Hariri.
The source explained that Diab chose to also take part in this defensive campaign. “His Thursday’s speech might have left a positive impression to some, however, it will stand the test of his seriousness to implement the promises he pledged at the economic and financial levels."
Aoun only spoke about an economic collapse after he broke the deal with Hariri, only to hold the former PM responsible for the financial crisis, the source said.
He added that opposition forces already started to prepare a response to confront Aoun’s campaign, even amidst the current lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
