BEIRUT // As thousands of Lebanese gathered in central Beirut to celebrate the election of General Michel Aoun as president, some of the flags waving above the crowds seemed out of place.
Supporters of Gen Aoun’s Christian Free Patriotic Movement were out in force on Monday night, waving flags and clutching photographs of the former warlord. Martyrs’ Square was a sea of orange – the trademark colour of the Mr Aoun’s party – with a smattering of canary yellow flags belonging to Hizbollah, an ally of the new president.
But also visible were flags belonging to the Lebanese Forces, another Christian party and former militia that Gen Aoun went to war with as a renegade military commander in the late 1980s during Lebanon’s civil war. Some supporters of the group held portraits of Samir Geagea, the Lebanese Forces leader who, until recently, was Gen Aoun’s chief rival.
The presence of Lebanese Forces supporters was even more surprising given that supporters of Hizbollah – a group Mr Geagea continues to oppose bitterly – were also in attendance.
While Mr Geagea initially competed for the presidency against Gen Aoun, he eventually backed down and in January gave his rival his support in an effort to end the electoral gridlock. But such political manoeuvring in Lebanon does not often translate into support on the street – particularly when a major concession is involved.
But here were the Lebanese Forces supporters dancing, singing and cheering into the night, even as a video message from the Shiite Hizbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was broadcast to the crowds over giant screens.
Many observers have painted Gen Aoun’s election as a victory for Iran and Syria in Lebanon, drawing on the new president’s alliance with Hizbollah, which is backed by Tehran. But the reality appears to be more complex.
Gen Aoun’s populist Christian rhetoric and his party’s constant accusations that other sects are working to marginalise Christians in the country has struck a chord.
Having been fed a steady diet of images of Christians fleeing ISIL in Iraq and Syria in recent years, while watching Lebanon’s demographics change dramatically with the addition of more than 1.5 million Syrian refugees, overwhelmingly Sunni, Lebanese Christians have increasingly felt outnumbered, creating pressure for them to unite.
While Lebanon’s parties are generally divided between those that are influenced by Syria and Iran and those that lean toward the Arabian Gulf and the West, a new order may be emerging – one that sees Christian parties drift away from the confines of those alliances.
Marwan Chaktoura, a 27-year-old Lebanese Forces supporter, said he viewed Gen Aoun’s election as a victory for all of Lebanon’s Christians, not just the Free Patriotic Movement.
“The region, the Middle East, is full of terrorists,” he said. “We have to resist and unite to build a new Lebanon.”
Asked about how it felt to be celebrating alongside Hizbollah supporters, he paused before answering.
“Hizbollah is here in Martyrs’ Square today without their weapons. They are here to support the president of the republic,” he said.
Nearby, 16-year-old Lebanese Forces supporter Anthony Matta was celebrating Gen Aoun’s election with friends, most of whom were Free Patriotic Movement supporters. One, dressed in an orange shirt with an orange headband, held the flags of both Christian parties together in one hand. Another waved a flag bearing a provocative Lebanese Forces logo that was used during the civil war as well as a portrait of Mr Geagea taped to it.
“Christians are strong now because the president is strong,” said Mr Matta.
The traditional political camps in Lebanon were dying and a new order was emerging, he added. Now there is “no problem” with Hizbollah, “now it is Hizbollah, Aoun and Geagea”, he said.
But questions remain as to how far the new unity can go. Not only do the Free Patriotic Movement and Lebanese Forces continue to disagree on major issues like Syria and the role of Hizbollah in Lebanon, but another Christian Party remains out in the cold over the presidential election: Kataeb.
Kataeb, whose supporters were absent from the celebrations on Monday night, gave birth to the Lebanese Forces during the country’s civil war, but the two parties now disagree over supporting Gen Aoun.
Marwan Abdallah, the coordinator of Kataeb’s foreign affairs office, said that while he supports Christian unity and is glad the Free Patriotic Movement and Lebanese Forces have ended their animosity, he does not believe they can truly come closer together while still disagreeing on major issues like the role of Hizbollah and Syria.
“We think agreeing on these matters is more important for Christian unity than just signing papers and agreeing on small things that do not solve the real problems that Christians are facing in Lebanon,” he said.
jwood@thenational.ae