‘Zahleh in the Heart’ List: June 7 Is Date for Loyalty to Lebanon and Martyrs
MP Nicolas Fattoush on Wednesday dubbed June 7 as the day when voters will confirm their “loyalty to Lebanon” as March 14 candidates toured Zahleh in preparation for the polls.
Fattoush, who heads the “Zahleh in the Heart” list, said the ticket “represents the essence of Zahleh and the Bekaa” where “a distinctive form of coexistence” exists among a diversity of families.
“On June 7 (voters will show) loyalty to Lebanon’s freedom, sovereignty and independence and will honor the blood of the Cedar Revolution martyrs,” he said.
In addition to Fattoush, the list includes Minister Elie Marouni, Antoine Abu Khater, MP Assem Araji, Aquab Saqr, Joseph Saab al-Maalouf and Shante Janjanian, all of whom took part in Wednesday’s tour.
For his part Araji said that Bekaa remained true to its “identity, which rejects fanaticism and in-fighting.”
He said the region “works for building bridges and strengthening family and civil ties.” He expressed confidence that voters in Zahleh will vote in throngs for the March 14 list.
Marouni said that March 14 forces were taking “sure steps toward restoring Zahleh’s decision-making which was exported outside Lebanese borders.”
He stressed the need for voters in the district to be “loyal to the journey of martyrs who sacrificed their blood for Lebanon to regain its freedom, dignity, sovereignty and independence.”
As for Abu Khater, he said the list was an example of “real representation of all the sects in the Bekaa” adding that Zahleh voters will select their representatives “according to their convictions and principles.”
Contender Saqr pledged to continue “the journey for development and advancement in the Bekaa.”
For his part, Maalouf said he was confident that voters in Zahleh will support the entire list, which “aspires to develop their city and revive economy through a policy of openness instead of isolation and tire-burning.”
As for Janjanian, he said the central Bekaa “can only be loyal to the quest for independence, sovereignty and freedom in which all the people of Bekaa have always believed, regardless of their sects.”
He stressed the need to work toward “breaking the chains that prevent communication among all the Lebanese.”