Walid Jumblatt: Only disasters have resulted from Aoun’s mandate, Nasrallah is the one who decides the president

Progressive Socialist Party Chief, Walid Jumblatt, said that “the electoral battle is never equal,” adding that “in the end we are waging a political battle.”

“Hezbollah is an armed party, yes, but we hope that this political voice will have a balanced presence in the next parliament, in order to tell Hezbollah and other groups of the axis of resistance, Syria and Iran, that things cannot be managed in this way,” he said.

Speaking in an interview with Al-Qabas newspaper, Jumblatt indicated, however, that he “always adopts dialogue with Hezbollah, because there is no alternative to this dialogue.”

As for his severe criticism against President Michel Aoun, Jumblatt said: “It does not stem from personal reasons, but rather because of his disastrous achievements,” adding that “the mandate of Aoun has only resulted in disasters, with his inability to remove symbols offensive to his reign and rectify his mandate.”

“The covenant is over. We can only wait in the hope that we will have an acceptable president and that a new disaster will not come to us if he [Aoun] renews the mandate of one of his entourage members,” Jumblatt underlined.

Asked about his vision for the next president, he replied that he is not a member of Parliament to vote, saying: “MP Taymour Jumblatt is the one who will choose,” stressing that “the important thing is for there to be a Lebanese president, not a president who is a tool in the hands of the Syrians and the Iranians.”

In response to a question about Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah as being the one who decides the president of the republic in Lebanon, Jumblatt said: “Yes, the countries decide, and Hassan Nasrallah decides. The presidency in Lebanon has always been the result of an international track, but it is better for the Lebanese people to decide on their president.”

Referring to the intimidations against him, he said: “Many times, attempts were made to abolish Walid Jumblatt, long before May 7, 2008,” adding, “They tried to abolish the Jumblatt family in 1977 when they assassinated Kamal Jumblatt, but we remained steadfast, and we will remain this time as well.”

Regarding the Syrian regime’s role in the electoral battle and Moscow’s position, he considered that “there is a Syrian role, certainly with Iran, but Moscow is far and receives all people.”

Touching on the long-awaited parliamentary elections, Jumblatt believed that “the democratic elections will happen despite the security events, and there is no fear about the elections, as they will happen.”

“The tragedy of the sinking boat in Tripoli is the result of the overwhelming despair that fills the people of the North and the Lebanese in general…We talk about boats carrying refugees to Cyprus and the West, and we forget the economic situation, the collapse, and the unwillingness of some components to embark on reform,” Jumblatt added regretfully.