Former MP Nassib Lahoud made it official today and announced his candidacy for the next President of Lebanon, to replace his cousin the pro-Syrian president Emile Lahoud. In kicking off his presidential campaign, he declared that only the Lebanese army is entitled to bear arms and defend the country.
Here are some highlights of his presidential platform.
Lahoud called for: - Enrolling Hezbollah fighters into and under the command of the Lebanese army insisting that only the army should be the "legitimate armed forces of Lebanon"
- Training Lebanese army and supplying it with all the equipment needed to properly defend the country .
- Establishing friendly, but balanced relations with Syria. Lahoud called for mutual respect of sovereignty , independence and freedom between Lebanon and Syria and also called for diplomatic relations and demarcation of the borders between both countries.
- Lahoud also called for reforms against corruption , improved rights of women, improved standard of education in the public schools, reviving the Labor Unions and political freedom .
He expressed his frustration with the current crises and called for ending the current sit- in protest and the closure of the parliament
| Unlike Emile Lahoud, Nassib lahoud is a leading member of the March 14 alliance. |
Unlike Emile Lahoud, Nassib lahoud is a leading member of the March 14 alliance. In 2001, he joined the Qornet Shehwan Gathering, regrouping prominent Christian opposition figures under the patronage of Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir. |