Hariri Meets Hollande: France Very Keen on Ending Presidential Vacuum

Head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri warned on Tuesday of the dangerous impact the ongoing presidential vacuum is having on Lebanon.

He said after holding talks with French President Francois Hollande: “The French president is very keen on ending the vacuum.”

The MP had met with Hollande at the Elysee Palace in Paris.

Hariri added that he hopes that the municipal elections in Lebanon would encourage all political parties to “seriously” think about holding presidential and parliamentary polls.

He reiterated his accusation that Hizbullah and Change and Reform bloc chief MP Michel Aoun are obstructing the presidential elections, saying: “It is unfortunate because the whole country and all the Lebanese are paying the price of this action.”

“We believe that ending the vacuum is the only way to halt the deterioration taking place at Lebanese economic and social institutions”

Hariri flew from Istanbul to Paris on Saturday after attending the wedding ceremony of the daughter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Lebanon has been without a president since the term of President Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014.

M.T.

Y.R.