Rejection in the South carries Abu Jamra’s candidacy to Achrafieh
Future bloc MP Michel Pharaoun said in an interview with Free Lebanon radio station on Saturday morning that, “Deputy Prime Minister Issam Abu Jamra chose to run in Achrafieh only after the Syrian Social Nationalist Party and Amal rejected his candidacy in the South.”
He also said that Achrafieh residents “know who Nayla Tueni and Nadim Gemayel are, but they do not know who Issam Abu Jamra is,” he added.
“We should respect the main sect in Achrafieh, and Achrafieh residents should be respected. I reject the accusations that they sell their votes,” he said.
“If the opposition wins in the elections, they will not need to visit Baabda, and there will be no mechanism to implement the dialogue and build the defense strategy,” Pharaoun said.
He added that the March 8 alliance “does not believe in freedom and democracy.”
“Lebanon is still a battlefield,” Pharaoun said.
He also spoke about his relations with the Future leader MP Saad Hariri, saying they are “good, but I cannot be committed to the decisions of the Future bloc.”
“I will run in the elections as an independent, but within the March 14 alliance,” he concluded.
“I see a danger in hindering the carrying out of the elections as scheduled. If the elections happen on time, I believe that General Aoun will not run in the elections.”