General Aoun held a press conference in his Rabieh residence to discuss the political crisis gripping the country.
Speaking about the concepts of democracy and constitutional practice, General Aoun declared that the solution to the Presidential and political deadlock in the country, was to revert to the people.
Speaking about the status of the Parliament, General Aoun stated that the only reason it should meet would be to arrange new elections.
Speaking in regards to the Presidential deadlock, general Aoun stated that those calling for the election of a new President could do so through the “call for the direct election of a president by the people”.
Otherwise he said, Parliament should discuss and present a new and fair electoral law that “ensures fair representation for all the Lebanese, hold transparent and clear parliamentary elections’ elect a president by the new Parliament and form a government that will be a government of reform”.
General Aoun asked that friendly countries not interfere in Lebanon and try to prop up forces that had lost their legitimacy in the eyes of the people.
Speaking in relation to the protests that had been held after the garbage crisis, General Aoun stated that he supported the right of people to hold these protests, stating that their demands for accountability were legitimate. However General Aoun rejected the slogans by some of the protest organizers that all political forces in the country were corrupt.
“By calling everyone corrupt, you are in fact covering corruption and creating despair through the suggestion that there is no hope for reform”.
Responding to a reporter who suggested that protest organizers did not want the FPM alongside them, General Aoun reminded the organizers that the FPM had been for a long time demanding what they were now demanding, and reminded them that they “were chanting out slogans”.
General Aoun then announced that the FPM will be holding a protest rally this coming Friday, against endemic corruption and the usurpation of true participation by all the Lebanese. He called on FPM supporters to rally and said that all were welcome to join.
R.B 29/08/15