the fun begins.

placing bets now, do it before we close...

Nabih Berri is a shoe-in.

the quadripartite coalition breakdown:

*Walid Jumblatt has already backed him, bringing with him the Progressive Socialist Party.

*Hassan Nasrallah, and by extension, Hizbullah have of course thrown their weight behind him. it goes without saying that Amal supports him as well.

*Saad Hariri and the Furture Movement have weighed in cautiously, but have not proposed any other altenatives. Hariri will likely seek concessions before an agreement is reached.

*Lebanese Forces and the Qornet Shehwan Gathering may end up as supporters. Berri visited Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir on Thursday, 24 June. While he denied discussing the Speaker position, he announced afterwards that he had spoken with Sfeir about the release of LF leader Samir Geagea and assured the patriarch of his commitment to electoral reform.


there is much to be gained and of course much to be lost by pursuing this strategy and keeping Berri in power. Micheal Young of the Daily Star has a great roundup of it here.