Kataeb Party leader Samy Gemayel expressed strong support for Lebanese President Joseph Aoun following their meeting at Baabda Palace, describing him as “the right man at the right time.”

“We thanked him for words we have waited 35 years to hear, on the assassination anniversary of the martyr President Bashir Gemayel," he said.

Gemayel said that tributes paid by both President Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Bashir Gemayel’s assassination anniversary signal a new phase in Lebanon, asserting that the country’s leadership now holds a clear and sovereign stance.

“Bashir Gemayel’s vision of an independent, unified State has become the cause of the entire leadership now in office—from the president and prime minister to the parliamentary majority,” he said.

“We stand by the president to continue protecting Lebanon and acting with great wisdom,” Gemayel stressed. “I commend him for handling crises with prudence, maintaining a firm stance, honoring the pledges he made in his inaugural speech, and implementing Cabinet decisions regarding the State’s exclusive control over arms, all while exercising restraint and avoiding provocation. What matters is achieving results, not grandstanding that obstructs progress. We have full confidence in the president’s actions, especially regarding support for the army and initiatives aligned with our interests.”

Gemayel reaffirmed his backing for Aoun’s statements at the Doha summit, emphasizing that despite ongoing attacks on Lebanon, the president’s priority remains the protection of the Lebanese people.

“All other tools have proven ineffective in defending Lebanon. We give him the opportunity to safeguard the country and its citizens in new ways,” he said.

He highlighted Lebanon’s past defense failures and the stark imbalance with Israel: “We tried other methods to protect Lebanon and failed. The State was liberated and then reoccupied because of the approaches chosen by some. Lebanon’s overall State budget is $6 billion, while Israel’s army alone receives $50 billion. The arms race does not deliver results.”

Gemayel called for a diplomatic approach to national security, arguing that the State must sometimes protect its citizens even against their own actions for their own safety.

“The State now seeks to protect all Lebanese, build strong institutions, strengthen the economy, and secure a better future from north to south. Instead of attacks and online campaigns, we should cooperate with the president, who aims to safeguard the country far more effectively than what has been seen over the past 40 years,” he said.

On electoral law, Gemayel said: “We voted against the current election law because it is flawed, notably in reserving six seats for expatriates. After voting against it, we proposed amendments to allow expatriates to vote for all 128 seats in 2018, which led to accusations of betrayal. Today, the parliamentary majority seeks to cancel the six-seat expatriate quota and proceed with voting for all 128 seats. We have also proposed single-member districts. There is no time for structural changes; the priority is removing the law’s worst elements, chiefly eliminating the six-seat expatriate quota. This could be achieved in a single parliamentary session, but it requires political will and cooperation from Speaker Nabih Berri.”

Regarding international aid, Gemayel stressed that support must be conditional on the State functioning effectively.

“No one will provide funds to a country that cannot guarantee peace. We also need a clear signal from Hezbollah regarding disarmament. This will take time because Hezbollah will not voluntarily hand over weapons, leaving the army to conduct inspections itself,” he said.

Gemayel acknowledged President Aoun’s proposal for parallel measures as positive but criticized Hezbollah for obstructing the disarmament process.

“If they surrendered arms willingly, we could complete the process in a month instead of 12 or 15 months. We need commitment from the other side while continuing the necessary work to secure funds, close the financial gap, and implement reform laws to reassure donors,” he concluded.