Some 3.9 million Lebanese voters were called to the polls this Sunday, May 15, to renew their Parliament. Elections under tension, in a context of historic economic crisis, so…

Report

Legislative in Lebanon: no major incident, polling stations are closed

Audio 01:18

A family member of a victim of the dramatic explosion at the port of the Lebanese capital in 2020 paints a portrait of his loved one as he enters his polling station for the legislative elections.

Beirut, this Sunday, May 15, 2022. AFP - LOUAI BESHARA

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

Some 3.9 million Lebanese voters were called to the polls this Sunday, May 15, to renew their Parliament.

Elections under tension, in a context of historic economic crisis, while the national currency has lost 95% of its value, and more than three quarters of the country's inhabitants live below the poverty line.

These legislative elections were also a first, since the great protest movement against the elites of October 2019.

With our correspondent in Beirut,

Noé Pignède

In this polling station in Achrafieh, a Christian bastion of the Lebanese capital, the turnout was rather there this Sunday.

The queues were long.

►Read also: In Lebanon, legislative elections under close surveillance with reinforced security

Hayat, in his sixties, does not believe in the departure of the political class in place, at least not immediately.

But she hopes this election will open a new chapter.

We hope to change a little bit,

" she says.

At least the start of change.

What does "change" mean in Lebanon in his eyes?

“

Looking for other people who can help us live like all the other countries

,” Hayat replies.

Legislative in Lebanon: last hours of campaigning in Mount Lebanon https://t.co/ch938bX9qM pic.twitter.com/H2OWxk2O36

— RFI (@RFI) May 14, 2022

Gaby, for her part, is delighted with the number of voters who came out like her.

Because for this mother, the first enemy of change is abstention.

It really takes a miracle for Lebanon to wake up.

There's quite a percentage of people who are going to come and vote, because really, we're fed up with this situation.

The main fear of voters is that this election will be marred by fraud, in a country plagued by corruption.

Rumors of vote buying fuse on social networks.

►Read again: Meet an "electoral key", an intermediary who pays Lebanese voters

But Tony, in his thirties, thinks voters will vote with their conscience, not their wallets.

“

You know,

he said,

some people need money because of the bad economic situation.
So maybe they got paid, but then they will vote for the right person.
It's democracy!

The right person for him: the candidate of the Christian militia of the Lebanese Forces, only party, according to Tony, to be able to oppose the hegemony of the Shiite Hezbollah.

Lebanese legislative: a rather calm atmosphere in the country

The Lebanese polling stations have officially, at 6 p.m. (French time).

Two hours before closing, the turnout was 32%, a figure lower than in previous elections.

This first national election since the explosion that devastated the port of Beirut two years ago took place in a rather calm atmosphere, without major incident, given the importance of the issues, the scale of the crisis affecting the country and the tensions generated by the political speeches of recent weeks.

However, incidents took place in certain regions, requiring the intervention of the army, which had deployed tens of thousands of men to ensure the security of the voting operations.

In two localities in the north of the country, soldiers had to fire in the air to disperse supporters of candidates who came to blows in an office.

There were injuries.

Fights took place here and there, but the situation was quickly brought under control and the voting operations were able to continue normally.

In some regions, moreover, the heads of the polling stations had to improvise on the lighting side, to compensate for the power cuts.

Finally, sometimes voters were surprised not to find their names on the electoral lists, but all this is not out of the ordinary in Lebanon.

The head of the European Union observation mission in the country himself said he was satisfied with the conduct of the election.

He described a "

calm atmosphere inside and outside the polling stations

", pointing to "

problems of little importance

Correspondence from Beirut,

Paul Khalifeh

►On the same subject: Will the independent candidates make a significant breakthrough in Lebanon

Legislative in Lebanon: no major incident, polling stations are closed

Legislative in Lebanon: no major incident, polling stations are closed

Lebanese legislative: a rather calm atmosphere in the country

You may like

Trends 24h

Latest