Former Minister Abu Suleiman is a financial, monetary and banking expert with a staunch advocate for defending Lebanese credit institutions against overseas depositors.
According to Al Akhbar daily, the politician refused to comment on his candidacy despite having met with various local forces, including Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri and Interim Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
At the same time, in addition to talks with the work team of Marada movement leader Suleiman Franjieh, Abu Suleiman considered communication with Hizbullah officials, influential members of the Banking Association and figures from the Forces of Change to be the most solid option .to the presidency of the republic, the publication stressed .
The newspaper said US Assistant Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs Barbara Leaf was the first to suggest it during her recent visit to Lebanon and asked Washington’s ambassador here, Dorothy Shea, to be contacted.
Besides Abu Suleiman, the names of banker Samir Assaf and director of the International Monetary Fund’s Middle East and North Africa Affairs Department Jihad Azour were also mentioned as governor posts, Al Akhbar said.
At 72, Riyadh Salameh is one of the world’s oldest central bank governors, having held the post since 1993 and being the architect of fiscal policy in the post-civil war economic recovery period (1975-1990).
However, as the economic meltdown and popular demonstrations began in October 2019, analysts and observers accused political leaders and officials, including Salameh, of transferring vast sums of money from their accounts abroad.
Despite criticism of his performance and suspicions of embezzlement, money laundering and illegal enrichment, Salameh remains in office under the protection of the country’s main political classes, according to local experts.
Amid deteriorating living conditions, Lebanon faces the difficulties of a political crisis illustrated by the failure of Parliament in eleven sessions since September 2022 in the election of the new President of the Republic after the end of Michel Aoun el October’s mandate 31 last.
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