Sami Gemayel Announces Candidacy, Calls for Dialogue, Not Grudges
Phalange party leader Sami Gemayel announced his candidacy for the Maronite parliamentary seat in the Metn, calling his campaign and that which follows a "journey of thousands of miles."
Lebanon "was founded on the principle of solidarity and with the principle of democracy," Gemayel said in a press conference on Friday in front of party members and supporters. He encouraged reconciliation through talking and insisted that after the elections there be "[no] grudges, rather dialogue."
During his speech the new candidate denounced the current "Lebanese political system which makes Lebanese confront each other," and added that he "hopes for real change in the institutions and state of Lebanon."
Gemayel reiterated his call for dialogue by saying that he was "with any side that thinks of and looks toward Lebanon”s future."
The Phalange leader lashed out at armed militias in Lebanon by saying "there can be no stability… as long as one group has weapons and goes down into the street and imposes" its will on other Lebanese. He added that "no state exists accepting the presence of… other weapons" besides those of the legitimate authorities.
"There can be no Lebanon without Christians," Gemayel said. He added that he does not believe in "a Sunni-Christian plan, or a Shiite-Christian plan, or a Druze-Christian plan, only a Christian-Christian plan."
Gemayel also stressed the importance of Christian agreement heading into the elections and thereafter, saying "Christian unity is the only solution" to Lebanese problems and added that "Christians lost when we raised our arms against each other."
With regard to the elections, Gemayel said that Phalange candidates "will win in the elections."