Lebanon in ferment as first elections in nine years loom
Lebanon is being swept by campaign fever as its first parliamentary vote in nearly a decade approaches.
Posters are on every corner, televised debates and neighbours bicker over new electoral procedures.
Stakes are high in the long-awaited May 6 poll, the first test of Lebanon’s 2017 voting law, that will for years carve out the country’s political and economic trajectory.
Voters and candidates are eager for polling to start again after the previous parliamentary elections, in June 2009.
The 128 politicians elected then have extended their mandate three times, citing potential spillover from the war in neighbouring Syria and an unsatisfactory voting law.
But after years of deadlock, Lebanon’s politicians agreed to elect a president, form a government and move to a complex new ballot system, paving the way for next month’s historic vote.
“It’s a new electoral experience for Lebanon,” said Imad Salame, a professor of political science at Beirut’s Lebanese American University.
The next parliament will select Lebanon’s future prime minister and pass laws on major social and economic issues, while attempting to keep sectarian tensions in check.
“The stakes in this election are quite high due to the delicate balance of power between the sectarian groups in the country,” Mr Salame said.
The country of four million is governed by a power-sharing agreement that leaves little to chance, with parliament equally divided between Muslims and Christians then split among different sects.
But the new electoral system, the frustration of young voters and the candidacy of scores of independents have sparked hope for something different.
“This country needs a change. I’ve been complaining about it for years, so not doing anything is not a solution,” said Ingrid Hag, 25, a communications consultant.
Across the country, 917 candidates are running on 77 lists, launching their campaigns with Oscars-style ceremonies and huge billboards dominating roadside hoardings.
In every neighbourhood, images of the incumbent political elite, such as Prime Minister Saad Hariri, stare down first-time hopefuls.
Television channels are offering candidates pricey media packages for up to US$6,000 (Dh22,039) per minute of broadcast time and have launched slick shows to explain the new ballot process.
In the past, voters could individually pick candidates for each seat in their district.
Under the new law, they choose from the lists but can also cast an extra preferential vote for a specific candidate.
The law replaces a majoritarian system with a proportional one and allows expatriates to vote abroad for the first time.
The new list system has further ruptured Lebanon’s political class, long split between the pro-Iran March 8 and pro-Saudi March 14 alliances.
Now parties are being pragmatic, Mr Salame said, reaching across the aisle to form mutually beneficial electoral blocs in some districts, but opposing each other elsewhere.
“It’s based on each candidate, how many votes he or she can get to the list, and accordingly alliances are formulated,” he said.
The only party not to ally with rivals is the powerful Tehran-backed Hezbollah, popular across Lebanon’s south and centre but considered a terrorist group by the US.
“From a western perspective, there is a concern that Hezbollah may sweep electoral seats and turn the balance in its favour,” Mr Salame said.
But the new law has also prompted candidates outside Lebanon’s traditional political class to join forces, and attracted a record number of women – including writer and activist Joumana Haddad, 47.
Running on the LiBaladi (For My Country) list, Ms Haddad pledges to end religion’s influence on issues such as marriage and inheritance.
“With the civil status law, there will be more justice, less sectarianism and more equality,” she said. “This new electoral law allows a tiny percentage of independents to get to the parliament. This is the tiny percentage we are trying to work on,” said Ms Haddad.
Ibrahim Saleh, a former cleric who votes in Tripoli, said: “Voters in general just don’t get the new law. Half of Tripoli’s voters are confused and could throw everything off.
“There’s no guaranteed result in these elections. I’m really afraid of instability.”