Decisive Week ahead of April 7 Election Candidates Deadline
A few days to go before the general election write-in candidates filing deadline, Lebanon”s two major camps were trying to iron out the remaining obstacles holding up the completion of the electoral tickets.
The daily An Nahar on Monday said an agreement is not likely to be reached soon, particularly since the ruling March 14 forces have not made up their mind about candidates in several electoral constituencies.
It said March 14 is looking forward to a meeting this week at the level of its leaders to smooth out obstacles delaying completion of its lists in "sensitive areas."
On the opposition side, An Nahar said Hizbullah, too, even if the process of choosing candidates in the Bekaa as well as in north and south Lebanon is well under way, has not cut a deal yet with its allies – Speaker Nabih Berri and Gen. Michel Aoun — in religiously mixed areas.
The daily said Hizbullah has also made no progress in clearing snags facing its mediation efforts between Berri and Aoun.
In view of this, well-informed sources ruled out the birth of election tickets for both camps before mid-April, knowing that the candidate withdrawal deadline ends April 21.
Meanwhile, Tashnag party announced the names of five candidates for the upcoming legislative elections, paving the way for an Armenian participation following the 2005 boycott of the polls.
"The party is reaffirming its decision to fully participate in the elections through candidacy and through voting in all districts, in a reversal of its 2005 boycott of the polls in Beirut," Tashnag secretary general Hovig Mekhitarian told a press conference in Burj Hammoud before naming the contenders.
Tashnag, however, did not touch on the names of its allies to the electoral alliances.
The move though is likely to uncover Tashnag”s alliances soon based on its union with Aoun, yet without closing negotiation doors with MP Michel Murr and the Phalange Party in the Metn region.
Jamaa Islamiya, or the Islamic Grouping, also announced the names of three candidates — Rami Dergham in Tripoli, Asaad Harmoush in Dinniyeh and Mohammed Hawshar in Akkar.
Well-informed sources said the move is a sign of progress in consultations over the anticipated alliances in these constituencies, particularly between MP Saad Hariri and Najib Mikati.
For his part, March 14 general secretariat coordinator Fares Soaid announced his candidacy in the district of Jbeil.
"Those who prevailed in the face of the Syrian intelligence services and Lebanese-Syrian security apparatuses will not be intimidated by your attempt to take hold of decision-making" in the district of Jbeil, Soaid said in reference to Hizbullah”s electoral campaigns in Metn, Kesserwan, Jbeil and Batroun over the past ten days.
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat refused to respond to a question about the launch of former MP Ghattas Khoury”s election campaign, saying: "No comment … The day will come when I will speak about it."
Asked whether his Shouf list would include a member of the Bustani family in line with the traditions, Jumblat told the daily As Safir that in view of his alliance with March 14, he may be compelled to exclude "this friendship" from the upcoming elections.