Kataeb Party chief MP Sami Gemayel pledged Thursday to support President Michel Aoun in the beginning of his presidential tenure while urging him to “improve the political system.”
“We will not bargain on our principles, neither for the presidential election nor for a ministerial seat or a parliamentary vote,” Gemayel said in an interview on LBCI television, explaining why Kataeb did not vote for Aoun in the presidential election.
He reiterated that “what happened in the presidential elections gave Hizbullah the power to choose the president now and in the future.”
“All parties considered that they won after the presidential vote and we're the only group in Lebanon that acknowledged its defeat,” Gemayel told LBCI.
“We will bear the responsibility for our stance and we held three days of discussions before taking our final stance and we knew that there would be an attempt to besiege Kataeb in connection with its stance,” the Kataeb chief added.