UN chief calls for free and fair Lebanon polls
GUTERRES: LEBANESE STRUGGLING DAILY TO MEET ESSENTIAL NEEDS
The UN chief called for Lebanon’s parliamentary elections on May 15 to be “free, fair transparent and inclusive’’ in a report circulated on Wednesday and urged the quick formation of a government that gives priority to implementing reforms addressing the country’s multiple crises.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in the report to the UN Security Council that political polarisation in the country has deepened and the Lebanese people “are struggling daily to meet basic essential needs”. He pointed to frequent protests across the country sparked by “public frustration with the political situation and the economic and financial crisis.”
The May 15 elections for parliament are the first since Lebanon’s economic meltdown began in late 2019. The elections are also the first since the August 4, 2020, catastrophic explosion at Beirut port that killed more than 215 people and wrecked large parts of the city.
Guterres, who visited Lebanon last December, said no one has yet been held accountable for the explosion and the Lebanese people are demanding “truth and justice”. He reiterated his call for “a swift, impartial, thorough and transparent investigation” and stressed that “the independence of the judiciary must be respected”.
I continue to urge the government and the armed forces of Lebanon to take all measures necessary to prohibit Hezbollah and other armed groups from acquiring weapons and building paramilitary capacity outside the authority of the state.”
Antonio Guterres | UN Secretary-General
1,044 candidates
In the May 15 election, a total of 103 lists with 1,044 candidates are vying for the 128-seat legislature, which is equally divided between Christians and Muslims.
The UN chief’s semi-annual report on implementation of a 2004 Security Council resolution reiterated that its key demands — that the Lebanese government establish its sovereignty throughout the country and that all Lebanese militias disarm and disband — have not been fulfilled.
He noted Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s February announcement that it now has the ability to transform thousands of its missiles “into precision missiles” and has been manufacturing drones “for a long time”.
“I continue to urge the government and the armed forces of Lebanon to take all measures necessary to prohibit Hezbollah and other armed groups from acquiring weapons and building paramilitary capacity outside the authority of the state,” the UN chief said.