Reliance on Hezbollah
In the 2018 elections, the Free Patriotic Movement forged alliances that were unimaginable, from the Islamic Group in Sidon to Michel Moawad in Zgharta and the contradictions and differences between them. From those elections, Gibran Bassil wanted to gain popular legitimacy as a successor to Michel Aoun, not only in the presidency of the movement but also in the ability to reach the parliament with a large numerical bloc, despite all the schisms that affected the movement at that stage, as well as family disputes over succession.

Bassil’s approach to the upcoming elections did not differ. He wants to fight the presidential battle by maintaining a large bloc of representatives. He is counting on compensating for the refusal of most independent parties and personalities to ally himself with him by fully allying with Hezbollah in circles where the Shiite voice could lead to an increase in the number of his representatives. He balances his popular decline in Christian-majority districts, such as Kesrouan, with his advance in districts with electoral weight for Hezbollah, such as the Baalbek-Hermel district.