Lebanon independents celebrate: ‘Change has begun’
KFEIR, Lebanon: When Firas Hamdan was injured at a protest near Lebanon’s parliament two years ago, the then activist never imagined he would one day return as a lawmaker.
Hamdan, one of 13 independent politicians who emerged from a mass antigovernment protest movement in 2019, made it to parliament on a reformist platform at elections on Sunday.
The 35-year-old lawyer and another independent, Elias Jarade, both snatched seats from allies of Hezbollah in one of its south Lebanon strongholds -- a first in three decades.
It was a breakthrough at the first election since the Mediterranean country was plunged into a deep economic crisis that has stoked popular fury with the hereditary and graft-tainted ruling class.
“To those who protested and clashed with authorities, those who were beaten by security forces, I say: ‘Today one of those victims is in parliament’,” Hamdan said.
Speaking at his family home in the village of Kfeir, he vowed to fight for the rights of ordinary
Lebanese who have been left behind.
Hamdan was hit in the chest by a lead pellet in 2020 during a demonstration near parliament, days after a deadly explosion struck Beirut’s port.
At the time, rights groups said security forces and men dressed in civilian clothing fired rubber-tipped bullets and tear gas canisters into the crowd.
But on Tuesday after the election results came in, jubilation was in the air as exhausted friends gathered in his backyard to celebrate.
Youths aspiring for change in Lebanon have rejoiced at the victories of Hamdan and Jarade.
Hamdan won against unpopular banker Marwan Kheireddine, while Jarade nabbed a seat held since 1992 by Assaad Hardan.
POLITICAL LINEAGE
In 2019, Hamdan was among hundreds of thousands of Lebanese who protested against the entrenched ruling class, widely blamed for the country’s economic collapse.
“We fought against an alliance of banks and the political class... to show there is an opposition in the south, to break the political hegemony imposed on us, and we succeeded,” he said.
A dashing young man and an eloquent speaker, Hamdan hopes he will be able to pave the way for a new style of politics in Lebanon.
But the road ahead is strewn with difficulties in a country where the system favours sectarian allegiances and power is often inherited.