Lebanese presidential candidate Michel Anoun, an ally of the Islamist Hezbollah organization, said he hoped to heal national divisions after receiving the backing of former Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri. Backing Anoun, a foe of Hariri’s own ‘Future Movement’, is a gamble for the former Prime Minister, Lebanon’s leading Sunni Muslim politician, but one that could ease the deadlock in Beirut and make secure Hariri the post of Prime Minister once again. The endorsement by Hariri, who has long opposed Aoun’s Shi’ite ally Hezbollah, but has been politically weakened in recent years, represents an important attempt to break the prolonged standoff between Lebanon’s political leaders.
“Of course there is political division and this is what we are trying to mend and to reorganize national unity, which is the most important thing to preserve Lebanon and its independence and sovereignty.” / “We hope that from now on it will be a new era in Lebanon amongst all it’s groups and we hope that we can all live in one country that is prosperous and confident in its future,” said Anoun.
Hezbollah, Lebanon’s most powerful political player, released a statement welcoming moves to fill the presidency but without committing to any wider power sharing agreement. Under Lebanon’s power-sharing arrangement among its main sects, the presidency is reserved for a Maronite Christian, the premiership for a Sunni Muslim and the speaker of parliament for a Shi’ite Muslim.