Crucial vote on Sunday in northern Lebanon
Beirut (AsiaNews) Next Sunday is a crucial day for Lebanon's future. The last phase in this year's electoral cycle will come to an end on June 19 as voters cast their ballots in the northern part of the country.
With over a million people (60 per cent Muslim and 40 per cent Christian), the area is one the largest in the country and will send 28 members to the National Assembly.
The last round in the staggered elections has acquired a special importance after General Michel Aoun's unexpected victory in Kesrouan-Jbeil and Metn.
The battle in the north is between two slates of candidates. One is headed by Interior Minister Suleiman Frangieh, a Christian Maronite leader and ally of General Michel Aoun, lawmaker Mikhael Daher and Ahmad Karame, cousin of former Premier Omar Karame, and draws its strength primarily from Christian villages, especially from Zghorta (Frangieh's birthplace), Batroun and Al Koura.
The other list is led by a former minister, Samir El Jisr, who is backed by the Future Movementthe late Rafik Hariri's political partynow led by his son Saad who was recently elected in Beirut. The Lebanese Forces of Samir Geagea (in prison since 1994) are backing this ticketGeagea's wife wife Strida is also running. It is particularly strong in Sunni areas, especially Tripoli, a pro-Hariri Sunni stronghold.
A significant factor has been added to the picture. In this relatively poor part of the country, someone has been giving out petrodollars. Former Premier Omar Karame slammed Saad Hariri for being ostensibly behind it. For his part, the young Hariri is currently in Tripoli on the campaign trail. In his appeal to Tripoli voters, Karame called on them not to sell their voice to Hariri.
Muslim fundamentalists are another important player since they are strongly present in the area. Many of them are still in prison for carrying out anti-Christian massacres in 2001, but they are being courted by Saad Hariri's party which is demanding an amnesty for them.
Lebanon's current Prime Minister Najib Miqati, also a Tripoli-native, is staying out of the fray. Speaking to AsiaNews, he reiterated his support for the democratic process, and his neutral stance vis-à-vis this Sunday's poll. His voters, he stressed, had ample leeway to freely decide how to vote.
The Speaker of the National Assembly Nabih Berri, who also spoke to Asianews, announced that Amal and Hizbollah would back Hariri's list because "he represents a real willingness to rebuild the country". He urged northern voters not to vote for the Aoun-Frangieh ticket because the latter's plan does not fit the country's reality.
Druze leader Walid Jumblatt also warned northern citizens against what he called the Aoun-Frangieh tsunami.
Asked by Asianews during a voters' rally, Interior Minister Suleiman Frangieh said he fully backed the democratic process. He called on law enforcement to perform their duty and stop the petrodollars that have appeared after Saad Hariri moved his campaign up north.
Speaking about the Presidency of the Republic, Mr Frangieh said that respect for the office was every citizen's duty. For this reason, he rejected calls for Lahoud's removal before the end of his mandate.
Today, Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir also expressed his concern over the tensions dividing the country. In a meeting with reporters in Bkerke, he reiterated his respect and support for the constitution and restated his categorical opposition to any constitutional changes that would remove President Lahoud from office.
The Patriarch insisted on the importance of prudence and dialogue, the only way in his opinion for the country to overcome the current situation.
Patriarch Sfeir further criticised those who claim that President Lahoud was the main obstacle to stability; instead, referring to the events of 1958 and those of 1975 when the Civil war broke out, he urged everyone to learn from the difficult experiences of the past.
The Patriarch also spoke about his support for the Kornet Chehwan Gathering, indicating that the idea for the group emerged after the publication in 2000 of the Maronite Bishops' appeal that called for the withdrawal of Syrian troops.
Politicians have taken the Bishops' appeal to heart, he noted, but regretfully the group itself has fallen apart as a result of the current situation.
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