BEIRUT: MP Sami Gemayel was elected Sunday as the seventh head of the Kataeb party, in a move that transfers the leadership of one of Lebanon’s oldest political parties to the third generation of a family that has already produced two Lebanese presidents.
Gemayel, who won with a majority of 339 votes, will now succeed his father Amine Gemayel who has led the party since 2007.
“We will not become the political life of Lebanon, we will let the political life in Lebanon become like us,” a tearful Gemayel said after the announcement.
He said that he felt the weight of the responsibility he now bears and vowed to work tirelessly for the sake of the party and the Lebanese people.
He also urged unity within his party, saying “I didn’t come to do this alone.”