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Free Patriotic Movement
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) (Arabic: التيار الوطني الحر, Al-Tayyar Al-Watani Al-Hur), also known as the "Aounist Current" (Arabic: التيار العوني, Tayyar Al-Aouni), is a Lebanese political party, led by Michel Aoun, a former commander of the Lebanese army who served as a transitory Prime Minister of one of two governments that contended for power in the final years of the Lebanese civil war (1988 - 1990). The movement was officially declared a political party on September 18, 2005.
Though originally, most of the party's support came from Lebanon's Christian community, it is gaining considerable support and sympathy from Muslims. The FPM party advocates secularism and the right to vote for Lebanese abroad.
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For many years, while Aoun was exiled in Paris, he led the FPM from abroad. He returned to Lebanon in May 7, 2005 after the cedar revolution forced the withdrawal of the Syrian forces, and then contested the legislative elections held in late May in early June although it placed him on the head of the largest Christian group of deputies.
Aoun also contested the Cedar Revolution which itself gave him the opportunity to come back to Lebanon.
At the time of the 2005 elections, the FPM had drawn up a political program which contains economic and political plans to rebuild the Lebanese economy and enhance the authority of the government over all of Lebanon's territory and to disband all armed Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias operating in Lebanon, including Hezbollah. In the FPM political program, Hezbollah is considered illegal, and the Shebaa Farms issue is considered a non-valid reason for the Hezbollah to continue to justify its presence in Lebanon. Following such a program, the FPM won a big Christian support and the FPM and its allies won 21 seats in the 128-member National Assembly, obtaining support from 69% of Lebanon's Christians.
On 6 February 2006, the FPM signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Shiite Hezbollah Party. Among other matters, the road map to the disarmament of Hezbollah was agreed upon by both parties, subject to the Shebaa Farms, occupied by Israel and generally recognized internationally as belonging to Syria, being declared Lebanese territory. The second and third conditions for disarmament were the return of Lebanese prisoners from Israeli jails and the elaboration of a defense strategy to protect Lebanon from the Israeli threat. The agreement also discussed the importance of having normal diplomatic relations with Syria and the request for information about the Lebanese political prisoners in Syria and the release of all political prisoners and diaspora in Israel.
2006 Lebanese Anti-Government Protest
FPM moves from the opposition to the opposition
On December 1, 2006 Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun declared to a crowd of protesters that the current government of Lebanon was unconstitutional claiming that the government had "made corruption a daily affair" and called for the resignation on the government. [1] Thousands of supporters of this party, Amal Movement and Hezbollah, according to the Internal Security Forces (ISF), gathered at Downtown Beirut trying to force Fouad Siniora to abdicate. His office, the Grand Serail, has been cut off from civilian reach due to potential high risk.
The Free Patriotic Movement finally launched its own broadcasting channel (Orange TV) in 2007. the channel is still in its testing period...
- ^ Huge Beirut rally demands change, BBC, 1 December 2006
- Free Patriotic Movement - official website
- Free Patriotic Movement Message Boards (Unofficial Forum)
- Free Patriotic Movement Chat Room
- FPM political platform (in English)
- Memorandum of Joint Understanding between Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement
