Gemayel calls for building a powerful state after elections
Kataeb candidate in the Beirut I district, Nadim Gemayel, told as-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper on Saturday that he was likely to win the upcoming parliamentary elections, because Achrafieh residents remained loyal to his father, assassinated President-elect Bachir Gemayel, and “the cause.”
He said he needed to work hard and be patient in order to realize his objectives after the elections, adding he hoped “we will reach the day when we see the state we have been dreaming of.”
Gemayel added that Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun was unlikely to achieve a total victory during the elections. He also accused Aoun of changing his principles while the Kataeb remained firm.
He emphasized the importance of state-building, enhancing its institutions and acknowledging the entity. Gemayel said that other parties, in contrast, had relationships with Syria and Iran, and had no interest in weakening their role by supporting the state. He said that Lebanon needed a powerful state and army, not a defense strategy.
“The state is responsible for safeguarding the people, who do not need anyone to make decisions on their behalf. Hezbollah constitutes a danger to the people because it directs its arms against them when they do not adopt their vision,” he concluded.