VOTER ANGER AND APATHY COMBINE IN LEBANON’S SECOND CITY
▶ Candidates tied to 2019’s protests seek to persuade a jaded electorate
In a dimly lit room without power in Tripoli, young volunteers work at laptops to support one of the dozens of candidates running for election in Lebanon’s neglected and often maligned second city.
But despite the lack of electricity in the room, the energy is frenetic.
The office is close to Tripoli’s Al Nour Square, where protesters against the country’s ruling classes gathered in 2019.
Pacing around the office, switching from one phone call to another, Camille Mourani is one of the candidates running for office.
Mr Mourani is one of those billing themselves as being close to the 2019 protests. He believes the coming elections present a genuine opportunity for change in Tripoli.
As Lebanon grapples with several crises, that include a devastating economic meltdown, Mr Mourani said the situation in the nation’s poorest city is particularly bad, with many areas “completely disconnected” from the rest of the country.
“The city played a big role during Lebanese history, in politics, in the economy and even now during the revolution. And we cannot leave it alone,” he said.
The question is whether people such as Mr Mourani and those close to the 2019 protests can mobilise support to take on the wealthy, traditional parties that dominate Parliament.
Tripoli, a Sunni-majority city, has a turbulent past and an image problem. It is the home of billionaire Prime Minister Najib Mikati, whose Azm Movement won four seats here in 2018.
Occasionally the scene of sectarian violence, Tripoli is often portrayed as a hotbed of extremism, something its residents firmly deny.
“I believe that we have the duty to link this city to this country again,” Mr Mourani said. “We need to open up the city to the country. People are always afraid to come up to Tripoli. We need to change this image.
“And this image doesn’t come up by chance. The actually existing political parties have worked a lot to make up this image.”
For many years, Lebanon’s Sunni vote has been represented by the Future Movement. This party won three seats in Tripoli in 2018 and five in the wider region.
But in January, its leader and three-time prime minister, Saad Hariri, announced he was withdrawing from political life and called on his party not to run in the election. One of the reasons he gave was Iran’s influence on Lebanon and the role of Hezbollah, the Shiite political party and armed group.
In Bab Al Tabbaneh, an area of Tripoli that is home to poor Sunnis, posters of Mr Hariri and his father Rafik, another former prime minister of Lebanon who was assassinated in 2005, can still be seen. Now there are fears of voter apathy and low turnout among the Sunni community.
One of those who did not heed Mr Hariri’s call was Mustafa Alloush, a former MP and vice president of the Freedom Movement. He said he was motivated to run again in a bid to stop Iran-backed Hezbollah and its allies from tightening their grip on Parliament.
He was unimpressed by the candidates seeking to fill the void in Tripoli. He also feared that Mr Hariri could give the impression that Sunnis should not vote, increasing the chance that more MPs would be “in the pocket of [Hezbollah leader] Hassan Nasrallah”.
“Hezbollah should not represent any Lebanese, even a Shia Lebanese,” said Mr Alloush. “It’s not the issue of sectarianism or religion.
“This is a militia. This is an armed militia associated with Iran, with the Revolutionary Guards. So I will try – me and others – just to limit the damage that they are causing to the country.”
The dissatisfaction in Tripoli, and anger at the authorities, was demonstrated by a recent incident off the coast.
A boat carrying about 60 men, women and children seeking to make it to Europe clashed with a Lebanese naval ship trying to prevent it from leaving. Although 47 people were rescued, seven died and the rest are still missing.
Amid Dandachi was one of those on board the boat. His wife survived, but they lost their three children.
About 22 members of the Dandachi family, an influential clan, are believed to have been on board.
At a meeting held in a Dandachi home, the despair and loss mixed with anger as the survivors seek justice against those they hold responsible for the deaths.
“I haven’t any faith in the government or justice in Lebanon,” Mr Dandachi said.
Fatima Samir was one of the young people who were active during the 2019 protests in Tripoli, but she now paints a downbeat picture.
“I don’t want to be very frustrated, but I am sorry – this is the situation,” she said.
“We don’t believe [there will be] any change, even with the election.
“I’m so sorry to say that. I want to be full of hope. But this is the truth.”
Mosbah Sakat, 25, looked set to be a candidate, driven by a desire to face the political system and traditional party lists.
But he withdrew when he and his colleagues were unable to form an 11-person electoral list that they felt was “truly independent”.
Now the focus has shifted to encouraging people to get out and vote for those with links to the October revolution.
“The future is not for the elderly, the future is for us,” Mr Sakat said.
We need to open up the city to the country. People are always afraid to come up to Tripoli CAMILLE MOURANI
Election candidate