Lebanon is suffering from the worst economic and financial crisis in its history. Many Lebanese blame the “government mafia”. The general election gives them cautious hope.
According to media reports, the protest movement celebrated an unexpected success in the elections in crisis-ridden Lebanon.
According to unofficial results, other opponents of the influential Shiite Hezbollah also gained ground. The bloc around the “Party of God”, which is closely allied with Iran, lost a few seats on Sunday and could lose the parliamentary majority.
According to the reports, the opponents of the government received up to ten mandates in the House of Representatives, which has a total of 128 seats. The protest movement goes back to the mass demonstrations that broke out in autumn 2019 against the political leadership of the Mediterranean country. Their representatives and other members of the opposition want to break the power monopoly of the parties that have ruled Lebanon for decades.
The party of former Christian militia commander Samir Geagea, one of Hezbollah’s harshest critics, was also able to gain ground. With around 20 seats, it is now the strongest Christian force in the multi-denominational country.
Positive surprise
“The initial results have brought positive surprises for the opposition,” said Maha Yahya, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. Some traditional leaders lost their seats. “This may be the beginning of a change.”
In many constituencies, however, the count was still ongoing. Official results are not expected until the afternoon at the earliest. According to the Ministry of the Interior, voter turnout fell to around 41 percent.
For more than two years, Lebanon has been suffering from the worst economic and financial crisis in its history. According to the UN, around three quarters of the country’s people now live below the poverty line. In everyday life, they struggle with insufficient supplies. The Lebanese currency has lost more than 90 percent of its value. The government can no longer repay its debts.
anti-corruption protests
The mass protests in 2019 drew tens of thousands of people to the streets. The demonstrations were directed, among other things, against widespread corruption. Many people blame the established parties that have been in power for decades for the country’s serious crisis. Critics speak of a “government mafia” that enriches itself. Potential foreign donors such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are demanding reforms in return for financial aid. However, these have not yet materialised.
Lebanon’s political system is characterized by a fragile balance between the denominations. The head of state is always a Christian, the head of government a Sunni and the speaker of the parliament a Shiite. The Shiite Hezbollah enjoys particular influence with its own militia and controls entire areas, including those on the border with its arch-enemy Israel.
It was the first parliamentary election since the explosion in the port of the capital Beirut in August 2020. More than 190 people died and around 6,000 were injured. The detonation devastated large parts of the port and surrounding residential areas.
Source: Stern
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