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Patriarch Raï's appeal to the Lebanese: if you really love your country, participate en masse in the elections

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Harissa (Agenzia Fides) - If the Lebanese really want to protect their right to self-determination and distance the future of the country from the groups that intend to cause the collapse of Lebanon and erase its historical identity, they must participate massively in the legislative elections on 16 of May. The appeal comes from Lebanese Cardinal Béchara Boutros Raï, Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, who made these considerations on the relevance of the upcoming elections in his homily on Sunday, May 1, during the solemn Eucharistic liturgy presided over in the Shrine of Our Lady of Harissa.

In his homily, the Patriarch explained that the majority of Lebanese want to live in "a free, democratic and neutral Lebanon", as provided for by the Constitutional Charter and the national historical identity itself. For this reason, all Lebanese are called upon to take advantage of their right to vote also "to tell the world which Lebanon they want", and to make it clear to world and regional powers that the Lebanese people reject any geopolitical plan aimed at expropriating or mortgage the independence of the Lebanese nation. In the immediate term, the Patriarch has recalled the urgency of safeguarding an orderly and peaceful development of the last weeks of the electoral campaign, after the various incidents that in recent weeks have disturbed the fragile social order.

The Lebanese diaspora and the upcoming elections: What lessons from the 2018 voting

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percentage of votes by parties in 2018 -- source

Beirut blast families fight to keep ruined silos up until justice served

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By Dario Sabaghi -- al-monitor.com -- The blast at Beirut Port on Aug. 4, 2020, not only left more than 215 dead and 6,000 injured, but also changed the skyline of Lebanon's capital. For many Lebanese, the ruined grain silos are a memorial for the blast's victims and a testament to the negligence of their political establishment. The forensic investigation was halted for the fifth time in February 2022. No one has yet been held accountable almost two years after the explosion of 552 tonnes of ammonium nitrate. On April 14, 2022, the Lebanese government approved plans to demolish the grain silos.

Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makari told the local media that the government had appointed the Council for Development and Reconstruction to oversee the demolition process. He did not specify a time frame. Makari said that the government made the decision based on a report by Lebanon's Khatib and Alami Engineering Company, which warned that the silos might collapse within months and that it would be too expensive to repair them. Culture Minister Mohamed Mortada told Reuters the government had decided to demolish the silos and build new ones based on a "purely economic assessment" of Lebanon's food security needs, including wheat storage.

Lebanon tells UNHCR that it can no longer tolerate the burden of Syrian refugees

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By Najia Houssari - arabnews.com -- BEIRUT: Lebanon has once again voiced its concerns about Syrian refugees, stating that the country can no longer tolerate some of their actions. Lebanese Minister of Labor Mustafa Bayram said: “Lebanon is no longer able to play policeman for other countries.” Prime Minister Najib Mikati chaired a meeting of the ministerial committee in charge of discussing the issue of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, during which Bayram said: “The Lebanese state is no longer able to handle this matter.” Bayram also stressed after the meeting that Lebanon is left alone, and the state cannot stand to cost. “We no longer have diesel boats to monitor the sea, and the UN and UNHCR must step up and bear their responsibilities. The Lebanese are queuing at banks and ATMs, while others receive direct aid in dollars. They share our water, electricity and resources while we do not get anything. Many institutions, international organizations and countries are concluding agreements with Lebanese NGOs and paying them in dollars without going through the state, and frankly, this uncontrolled situation is no longer acceptable,” he said.

Hector Hajjar, minister of social affairs, met Ayaki Ito, representative of the UNHCR office in Lebanon, and conveyed the Lebanese government’s official position regarding Syrian refugees. Hajjar’s office said he informed Ito that the Lebanese state is committed to the principle of not forcing refugees to return to their country of origin, but the situation is no longer tolerable and the state is no longer able to bear the cost of maintaining security in the refugee camps and the areas in which refugees have settled. Hajjar said: “The Lebanese state has always received less aid than the needs declared annually, despite the fact that 35 percent of the population is made up of displaced persons and refugees. According to reports, 82 percent of the Lebanese suffer from multidimensional poverty. The Lebanese state has incurred huge losses over the years, due to the displaced people benefiting from the state’s subsidies on basic commodities such as medicine, bread, and fuel, in addition to prison overcrowding and the resulting burdens, not to mention the security chaos and competition in the labor market.”

Man overseeing Lebanon vote frets about disruptions, vote buying

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by reuters -- Leaving his office this week, the 80-year-old head of Lebanon’s election commission escorted journalists down eight flights of stairs, lighting the way with a mobile phone. As elsewhere in the country, severe power rationing meant the lift and lights were off - symptoms of an economic collapse that has pushed more than three quarters of the population into poverty.

Less than three weeks before Lebanon’s parliamentary elections, retired judge Nadim Abdelmalak is worried about what the crisis means for the fairness of the process. He said his team was understaffed to oversee voting properly, ballots could easily be bought and candidates with more means were at a huge advantage over those without. “These elections will have violations,” Abdelmalak told Reuters this week.

Lebanon’s financial meltdown has seen the lira lose 90 percent of its value since 2019 and people have been unable to access hard currency savings, hitting all sections of society. The elections will be the first opportunity since then for people to choose lawmakers, amid widespread disillusionment over political leaders and despair at what has happened to Lebanon. Some election observers are concerned that candidates would be able to secure votes by distributing food, fuel, or other basic needs that are now beyond the reach of many. “This is undoubtedly going to play a role. There are a lot of people who are going to sell their votes. These factors are going to hit the integrity and transparency of the elections,” said Abdelmalak.

السفير الخازن للوطنية: المردود الإيجابي لزيارة البابا فرنسيس الى لبنان سيزداد في حال إقرار الاصلاحات ووضع خطة التعافي

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وطنية - الفاتيكان - أوضح سفير لبنان لدى الكرسي الرسولي فريد الياس الخازن أن "زيارة قداسة البابا فرنسيس الى لبنان في حزيران المقبل تأتي تجسيدا لرغبة عبر عنها مرارا وفي غير مناسبة، وتلبية لدعوة وجهها إليه مجددا فخامة الرئيس العماد ميشال عون خلال زيارته الأخيرة الى الكرسي الرسولي".

ولفت في حديث الى "الوكالة الوطنية للاعلام" الى انه "كان من المتوقع ان تتم الزيارة هذه السنة، كما أشار وزير خارجية الفاتيكان المطران بول ريتشارد كالغر خلال زيارته الاخيرة الى لبنان، لكن من دون تحديد موعدها". وقال: "لقد تم الإعلان عن زيارات الحبر الاعظم الخارجية في شهر تموز المقبل الى جنوب السودان وكندا وربما الكونغو. زيارة لبنان أرادها قداسته بعد الانتخابات النيابية المقررة في 15 ايار، وفي ذلك رسالة واضحة الى أنها غير متصلة بالشأن السياسي الداخلي، وتداركا لعدم توظيف الحدث في التجاذبات السياسية المعهودة."

وأشار الى أن "الزيارة تتم في ظروف في لبنان والمحيط الاقليمي تختلف عن تلك التي سادت عندما زار البابا القديس يوحنا بولس الثاني لبنان في 1997 وأعلن الارشاد الرسولي المنبثق عن السينودس الكنسي الخاص حول لبنان، وكذلك زيارة البابا بندكتوس السادس عشر في 2012 التي تم خلالها اعلان الارشاد الرسولي حول الشرق الاوسط. وقبل عقود، كانت زيارة خاطفة للبابا القديس بولس السادس في 1964 وهو في طريقه الى الهند، آتيا من القدس".

Minister Sejaan Azzi: سُترةُ نجاة للانتخابات

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سجعان قزي

@AzziSejean

ما شَكَّك اللبنانيّون في انتخاباتٍ نيابيّةٍ بقدْرِ ما يُشكِّكون في انتخاباتِ 15 أيّار المقبِل. أسبابُ التشكيكِ عدةٌ، أبرزُها: الارتيابُ بنيّاتِ السلطة، التخوّفُ من الوضعِ الأمنيِّ، التوجُّسُ من التدهورِ الماليّ والفوضى، وعدمُ الثقةِ بأنَّ الانتخاباتِ ستؤدّي إلى التغييرِ الإيجابيِّ المنشود.

منذ اتّفاقِ الطائف، جميعُ الاستحقاقاتِ الانتخابيّةِ مدارُ تشكيكٍ وإرجاء. النظامُ الديمقراطيُّ مُعلّقٌ بحكمِ سوءِ تطبيقِ دستورِ الطائف وسوءِ تفسيره. وفي الحالتين بحكمِ سوءِ النيّة. اسْتعيضَ عن مجلسِ الشيوخِ بمجلسِ مشايخَ مُصغّرٍ يَتحَكّمُ بالبلادِ بموازاةِ رئاسةِ الجمهوريّةِ ورئاستَي المجلسِ النيابيِّ والحكومة. واستُبدِلَت قاعدةُ الموالاةِ والمعارَضة ببِدعةِ "التوافقيّةِ" التي صَبَّت في مصلحةِ الأقوى عسكريًّا وليس في مصلحةِ الأضْعفِ ميثاقيًّا، فــثَــبَّــتَت فدراليّةً مُقنَّعةً في نظامٍ مركزيٍّ صُوَريٍّ. هذه كانت الحالُ في زمنِ النظامِ الأمنيِّ اللبنانيِّ/السوريّ، وهي مستمِرّةٌ في زمنِ النظامِ الأمنيِّ اللبنانيِّ/الإيرانيّ. البلادُ محكومةٌ من خارجِ نظامِها ودستورِها وشرعيّتِها، وخصوصًا ضِدَّ إرادةِ شعبِها. هذه انتخاباتٌ حيّةٌ في نظامٍ مَيت.

رغم ذلك، تراهنُ قوى سياسيّةٌ على الانتخاباتِ النيابيّةِ المقبِلةِ، ويُراقِبها المجتمعُ الدُوليُّ كأنَّ من صناديقِها سيُطِلُّ فجرُ لبنانَ الجديد. لكنَّ الجميعَ يَتغافلُ قصدًا أنَّ هذه الانتخاباتِ، على أهميّتِها في هذا الظرف، زُوِّرت قَبل أن تبدأَ وصارت قابلةً للطعنِ، وأنَّ نتائجَها وضيعةٌ بعدَ أن تَصدرَ. فالأكثريّةُ المنتظرةُ، أكانت لصالحِ الموالين أو المعارِضين، ستكون نسبيّةً وضئيلةَ الفارِق، وبالتالي دون القدرةِ على إجراءِ التعديلاتِ المصيريّةِ والجذريّةِ لأنَّ هذه تَتطلّبُ أكثريّةَ الثُلثين. بدأ تزويرُ الإرادةِ الشعبيّةِ والميثاقيّةِ في هذه الانتخاباتِ من خلالِ الشوائبِ التالية:

أوّلًا: نوعيّةُ قانونِ الانتخاب الذي يَصلُحُ لدولةٍ تقوم على نظامٍ حزبيٍّ حَصريّ، بينما اعتمادُه في الواقعِ السياسيِّ اللبنانيِّ يُوفّرُ الفوزَ سلفًا لقوى المنظومةِ السياسيّةِ المستهدَفةِ بمشروعِ التغيير.