Lebanon elections: can they change political scene in the country?

• Sulaiman
• . March 5, 2022
• . Update: March 5, 2022 6:42 pm
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Lebanon– Lebanon is witnessing an ongoing political and internal crisis as the country faces economic meltdown. The country is due to have parliamentary elections in couple of months’ time. The elections if conducted as planned, can change the course of Lebanon’s future. Though it will not be any easy feat, it can bring an end to Hezbollah’s control on Lebanon’s Parliament as well as on the government of country.

The first hurdle to achieve this desirable result is the considerable Sunni group void in Beirut’s second district – out of its 11 seats six are set aside for Sunnis. Saad Hariri, who has evidently lost his popularity amongst Lebanese people, doesn’t have a good alternative. The question thus arises that who will people vote for when they don’t even know other candidates. But there is one person who could have filled this void effectively – Nawaf Salam, the judge of International Court of Justice.

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Salam is highly regarded given his international position and coming from a reputed family of statesmen. His integrity too is well lauded across Lebanon. However, Salam has decided not to run for elections following a recent trip to Beirut. But if he can be persuaded to take up the role through enough support, the outcome can be changed and steered towards a desirable direction. If Salam does decide to run for elections, he could capture Sunni voice in Beirut.

Opposition groups, called “Hirak” are another problem in regards to their position towards existing political parties in Lebanon. Some parties have adopted the slogan “killun yaani killun” (all means all), signaling clear break with country’s establishment, there are others who are open to idea of cooperating with existing political scene in Beirut. The differences in opinions among opposition is a big hurdle in path to attain order in Lebanon, while they must opt for a united front against the government in Beirut. But on one view they all are in agreement – cherish sovereignty, are anti-Hezbollah and are ready to fight corruption at the state level.