50% of those who will vote will vote for independent candidates
After the street..Lebanese activists move to battle for power in the elections
The Lebanese do not trust the political class and they are frustrated.
AFP
Lucien Bourjily: The most important point is that people see the elections as a demonstration.
AFP
Verena the Client: For me, running for Parliament is a continuation of the confrontation against the political class.
AFP
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Although the successive crises drained the popular enthusiasm that was sparked by the demonstrations against the authority three years ago in Lebanon, opposition candidates, many of whom were activists who made the “revolution,” did not hesitate to run in the parliamentary elections, seeking political change that they already knew would be difficult.
In mid-May, the Lebanese will choose 128 deputies, in elections that experts do not expect to bring about a major change in the general political scene in the country, which has been mired in a severe political and economic crisis for more than two years.
"For me, running in the parliamentary elections is a continuation" of the confrontation against the political class, Verena al-Amil, who has participated in unprecedented demonstrations in Lebanon since October 17, 2019, and is among the youngest candidates for elections, told AFP.
The elections constitute the first real test for opposition groups and young faces that took the lead in what has become known as the “October 17 Revolution,” and demanded the resignation of the political class, blaming it for the financial and economic deterioration and corruption that decimated state institutions.
The demonstrations continued for months before gradually receding due to the outbreak of “Covid-19”, then the horrific explosion of Beirut Port on August 4, 2020, which killed more than 200 people and caused widespread destruction in the capital’s neighborhoods, in addition to the acceleration of the economic collapse, which was classified by the World Bank as Among the worst in the world since 1850.
The 25-year-old added: “After the revolution, we were frustrated and there was a big wave of immigration,” but “in light of all that, we still want to try.
I am now running to show that we still want “to overthrow the ruling class for decades.”
Despite setbacks in the face of entrenched power, and the failure of opposition groups and independent candidates to come together on unified lists in many constituencies, the popular movement has produced more candidates opposed to traditional parties than it did in the last elections in 2018.
According to the "Tomorrow's Politics Initiative", a Beirut-based think tank, opposition and independent candidates constitute 284 of the total 718 running in the electoral race, compared to 124 candidates in 2018. These are distributed among 48 electoral lists across the country, including in the regions in the outskirts, where The forces of power in some circles face a real challenge to retain all their seats.
demonstration
In the last elections, the client exercised her right to vote for the first time.
Four years later, she is preparing to battle the forces of power after her candidacy in the Northern Matn district (northeast of Beirut), after her participation in the demonstrations and her civil activism enriched her emerging path.
While sitting in a Beirut café, the young lawyer talks about the largest number of her colleagues at school leaving the country, and says: "We will proceed with the confrontation."
For the second time after 2018, activist, writer and film director Lucien Bourjielli is running for election.
"The most important point is for people to view the elections as a demonstration," he told AFP.
And he continues, "As we documented that demonstrators were beaten, blindfolded and killed on the roads, we must document how votes are stolen, and how cheating occurs."
The parties in power, according to Bourjili, are trying to “degrade us and use the money” to attract voters in a country whose political system is based on quotas between sects, which has entrenched deep-rooted clientelistic networks.
Opposition groups face many challenges, while realizing that the tools of confrontation with the forces of power are unequal in terms of the ability to mobilize the popular bases, the media, and material capabilities, in light of an electoral law that political forces have tailored to their size.
Despite this, the opposition did not succeed in entering the electoral race on joint lists, which, according to analysts, limits its ability to upset the balance of power and bring about real change.
Unacceptable
"There are competing opposition regulations in most constituencies, and this is unacceptable," Carmen Jeha, a professor of public administration at the American University of Beirut, told AFP.
She continues, "We needed hope, and hope can only come from a national campaign."
A survey of opinions conducted by "Oxfam" showed that about 54% of more than 4,670 people surveyed expressed their willingness to vote in the elections.
The Britain-based organization said in a report published last month on voter behavior that "the relatively low rate ... may be due to an overwhelming feeling of disappointment and despair."
More than half of those who said they would abstain from voting believed that there were no "promising candidates," according to the organization.
On the other hand, nearly 50% of those who will vote say that they will vote for independent candidates.
• The elections constitute the first real test for opposition groups and young faces that took the lead in what has become known as the “October 17 Revolution,” and demanded the resignation of the political class, blaming it for the financial and economic deterioration and corruption that decimated state institutions.
• Despite setbacks in the face of entrenched power, and the failure of opposition groups and independent candidates to align on unified lists in many constituencies, the popular movement has produced more candidates opposed to traditional parties than it did in 2018.
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