Alwaght- After years of conspiring against the resistance putting up a coalition of foreign-backed anti-Hezbollah movements, the Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea’s decision to nominate Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun for the presidential election, shows that the March 14 coalition has been a house of cards all along.
Historic Christian Agreement
After a 20-month presidential vacuum which was left by the absence of political consensus among various Lebanese factions, Geagea swayed the direction by supporting General Aoun's candidacy.
Long-life civil war rivals, both Christian Maronites, the two surprised the nation with the announcement, since they had both been vying for the presidential seat.
"We were on the verge of collapse so we sought an extraordinary solution, one which was not entertained by others," said Geagea.
Meanwhile, Aoun said the black page of the past must be burnt in order to build a future, referring to the old civil war rivalry with the Lebanese Forces.
Against the backd r o p of bloodshed and a harsh war of words that Geagea, western-backed-- and Aoun, a Hezbollah ally, have witnessed, the agreement is seen as a historic show of unity within the Lebanese Christian community which has been torn by divisions for decades.
Nevertheless, it is too early to say that Aoun will fill the empty presidential seat and unfreeze the government for want of wider backing.
Bitter Pill
Geagea also called on all March 14 factions to nominate Aoun for presidency, including the Saudi-funded Future movement.
Yet, for March 14, this move is a bitter pill to swallow.
The head of the Future movement, Saad Hariri, has repeatedly turned his back on Geagea, most recently when he nominated March 8 Marada Leader Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency. Geagea, feeling the stab in the back, has opted for a solution that would boost his image as an influential Christian leader, even if he doesn’t become president.
Hariri for his part, may see his power-sharing proposal that would have probably reinstated him as prime minister down the drain. What this also means, is that the Future Movement might be obliged to succumb to Hezbollah’s candidate, marking another political failure against the resistance.
House of Cards
There is no doubt that the Maarab announcement has mixed the cards in this game of politics, showing that the March 14 coalition is more divided than ever.
At the same time, this does not mean that the Lebanese forces are March 8 sympathizers just like the Future movement was not even remotely so when it nominated Franjieh, a close Hezbollah ally.
It is not yet clear how the Future movement will respond in action. But what is crystal clear is that March 14 is witnessing disintegration at the leadership level.
Mohammad Kabbara, a Future Movement MP, indicated disharmony within the coalition over the declaration, saying "partnership is not about arm twisting or imposition".
A commentator in the Annahar daily said the agreement marked a significant turn of events on the political landscape. "The biggest result will be the breakup of March 14 as a result of this landscape," he stated.
The cars dealt at the diplomacy table are shifting from one player to another. However, the March 8 team has maintained its unity in the face of external forces. March 14, on the other hand, is blowing with the wind like a house of cards.
