Report: Berri Told Aoun 'I Will not Vote for You'

Speaker Nabih Berri told presidential hopeful MP Michel Aoun that he will not deprive the upcoming parliament session to elect a president from quorum, but “I will vote against you” in the upcoming elections, an Nahar daily reported on Saturday.

Despite the friendliness that Berri tried to emanate in front of the media cameras during Aoun's visit in Ain el-Tineh, but the Speaker has assured Aoun during their closed meeting talks that he will not vote in his favor, added the daily.

“I am against you and I will vote against you. You know that the issue of quorum is in my pocket, but I will not play this card and I will go to the parliament and vote against you,” the daily quoted the Speaker as saying.

On Thursday, Berri received Aoun shortly after the latter was endorsed by al-Mustaqbal Movement chief MP Saad Hariri for Lebanon's top state post.

Hariri had formally announced his endorsement of Aoun for the presidency earlier in the evening after his previous support for the presidential nomination of Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah.

Berri has openly announced that he will not vote for Aoun in any presidential election session and some officials of his AMAL Movement have accused Aoun and Hariri of seeking a bilateral agreement that would marginalize Shiites in power, allegations that Aoun and his movement have denied.

Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum.

The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid have argued that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

Islamist candidates, former MPs and opposition leaders (from right) Nayef Al-Merdas, Mohammed Hayef Al-Mutairi, Osama Al-Menawer, Walid Al-Tabtabaei and Bader Al-Dahoum pose yesterday as they arrive at the department of elections to register for the upcoming parliamentary polls.