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The Latest Breaking News from FPM

Lebanon: Divorce between Aoun, Hezbollah Is Final

A Lebanese official following the relations between former President Michel Aoun with Hezbollah said the “marriage” between them, which was held at a Maronite church in Beirut’s southern suburbs in 2006, is over. All that is left is for them to announce the official divorce, marking an end to an…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Hezbollah Admits Impasse with Bassil

Hezbollah has most likely reached the conclusion that it was not possible to reach an understanding with the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Gebran Bassil, over the election of Marada Movement chief Sleiman Franjieh as Lebanon’s president. Communication between the two sides has sharply declined over the recent…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Geagea to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Will Thwart Quorum to Prevent Election of Hezbollah Candidate

Head of the Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea believes that there are currently so solutions that can resolve the presidential vacuum in Lebanon. “We have grown accustomed to tactics used by Hezbollah in previous presidential elections,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat. He explained that the party will allow the situation to reach…

Asharq Al-Awsat

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Lebanon: Mikati Rejects Accusations of Interfering in Judiciary

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati reiterated that his calls on the outgoing Interior Minister to block judicial “violations” taken by FPM Judge Ghada Aoun against local banks are not considered an interference in the judiciary. He emphasized that some decisions must be taken for the good of the country. “We…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Lebanese Banks Respond to Mikati's Request to End Strike

The Association of Banks in Lebanon is expected to halt an open-ended strike they began earlier this week after assurances made by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati that no controversial litigation are to be taken against them by the FPM-affiliated judge Ghada Aoun. On Wednesday, Mikati requested caretaker Interior Minister…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Bassil Accuses Hezbollah Candidate for Lebanese Presidency of Corruption

Head of Lebanon’s Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) MP Gebran Bassil ended on Saturday all hopes for a “comprehensive settlement” over the presidency after launching a scathing attack against the FPM’s ally, Hezbollah. During an address before an FPM youth gathering, the MP delivered messages to “internal and foreign players, rivals…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Lebanon: Hezbollah, Amal Undecided About Nominating Army Chief for Presidency

Lebanon’s Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun, has been recenlty topping the list of potential candidates for the presidency. While Aoun has gained the support of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), the head of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea, announced on Wednesday that he would not object the Army chief’s election,…

Asharq Al-Awsat

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Bassil, Hezbollah Hold ‘Frank’ Meeting, Underscore Alliance

Head of Lebanon’s Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) MP Gebran Bassil and a Hezbollah delegation met on Monday to ease political tensions that had strained their alliance. The two sides have differed over the election of a new president and holding government meetings in wake of the vacuum in the presidency.…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Lebanon: Hezbollah Delegation to Visit Bassil on Monday

Lebanon anticipates a meeting on Monday between a Hezbollah delegation and head of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Gebran Bassil, after a dispute recently emerged between the two allies over the Lebanese presidential elections. The Hezbollah delegation includes Political Advisor to Hezbollah's Secretary General Hussein Al-Khalil, and the party’s coordination…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Hamadeh to Asharq Al-Awsat: Presidential Vacuum in Lebanon Will Last Months

It appears that the vacuum in the presidency in Lebanon will last several months given the lack of prospects for a local solution or a breakthrough in complicated regional files that will negatively impact the country. Further aggravating the situation is the near collapse of the negotiations over Iran’s nuclear…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Lebanon: Hezbollah Seeks to Contain Dispute with Bassil’s FPM

Hezbollah is seeking to mitigate the impact of the recent dispute with its Christian ally, the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), by affirming its adherence to the memorandum of understanding signed in 2006 between the two sides. “We were, still are and will remain adherents to our allies, regardless of our…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Lebanon’s FPM Torn Between Bassil’s Ambitions, Hezbollah’s Pressure

A number of lawmakers from Lebanon’s Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) have acknowledged that the party is in “crisis” over the election of a new president of the republic. FPM MPs have submitted blank votes in eight electoral sessions. Tensions reached new heights during the ninth session amid disputes between the…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Lebanon: Disputes Emerge Between FPM, Hezbollah

For the first time since the signing of the Mar Mkhayel Agreement in 2006, a dispute emerged between former President Michel Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and Hezbollah. The conflict between the two sides was publicly announced in the media on Monday, following the participation of Hezbollah’s ministers in a…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Crisis-Hit Lebanon Faces Power Vacuum without President

Already mired in political and economic crises, Lebanon is now also without a president after Michel Aoun's mandate expired without a successor. Cheered on by thousands of supporters, Aoun left the presidential palace on Sunday, a day before his term officially ended. His six years at the helm were marred…

Asharq Al-Awsat

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AFP

Crisis-hit Lebanon faces power vacuum without president

Beirut (AFP) - Already mired in political and economic crises, Lebanon is now also without a president after Michel Aoun's mandate expired without a successor.

Asharq Al-Awsat

Aoun Signals Possibility of Approving Govt Resignation, Plunging Lebanon Deeper into Vacuum

Outgoing Lebanese President Michel Aoun stirred debate on Thursday when he said he may approve the resignation of the government should a new one not be formed, days before his term as president ends. The government usually assumes the duties of the president in case of a presidential vacuum. Aoun’s…

AFP

Michel Aoun, Lebanon's president who 'never gives up'

Beirut (AFP) - When Michel Aoun became president in 2016, putting an end to a two-year power vacuum due to political wrangling, he vowed to be the "strong" president Lebanon so desperately needed.

AFP

Crisis-hit Lebanon drifts towards extended power vacuum

Beirut (AFP) - Already reeling from three years of economic meltdown, Lebanon faces the prospect of its multi-faceted crisis deepening further when President Michel Aoun's mandate expires in a week from now.

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Asharq Al-Awsat

Lebanon: Purge Targets Bassil’s Rivals within FPM

Leadership ranks of Lebanon’s Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) have been shaken after its chief, Gebran Bassil, has apparently started an internal “purge” to clear out his opponents within the movement. After reports on the FPM dismissing former lawmaker Ziad Aswad, ex-MP Mario Aoun announced his resignation from the movement and…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Lebanon: Aoun, Mikati Resume Government Formation Talks

Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati has resumed talks with President Michel Aoun on forming a government following weeks of deadlock over disagreements with the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and the presidency. In a statement on Wednesday, Baabda Palace said that Aoun met with Mikati to discuss the formation of the new…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Debate over 'Qualifications’ of Lebanese President Heats Up Between Geagea, Bassil

With the race over the presidency heating up in Lebanon, debate is raging over the qualifications of the next president. Amid the political divides in the country, each rival camp has come up with their own set of conditions that they believe qualifies a candidate to run for the country’s…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Numbers Highlight Lebanon’s Collapse During Aoun’s Tenure

Less than two months before the constitutional date that allows for the election of a new president for Lebanon, the severe economic and financial crisis that the country has been witnessing since the fall of 2019 continues to worsen. The devaluation of the Lebanese currency, which has lost more than…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Lebanon: LF, FPM Won’t Nominate Mikati

Lebanon’s parliamentary consultations at the Baabda Palace on Thursday will see the deputies of Hezbollah and Amal Movement, as well as a number of Sunni and independent representatives, name caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to head the next government. Two other groups will also designate Mikati, including the National Moderation…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Mikati Favorite to Retain Position as Lebanese PM

Lebanon will soon embark on a mission to designate a new prime minister, who will be tasked with forming a new government. Prime Minister Najib Mikati's government is now operating in a caretaker capacity after parliamentary elections were staged last month. President Michel Aoun is tasked with calling parliamentary blocs…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Lebanon: Parliament’s Opposition Figures Fear Return of Shiite Duo-Aoun Majority

Lebanon’s opposition deputies have expressed fears of a “new deal” between the Shiite duo - represented by Amal and Hezbollah - and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), which would grant them the necessary majority to tailor the future government and elect a new president of the republic in October. Those…

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