Security officials discuss measures for election day
Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud chaired a meeting on Monday with the Central Security Council to discuss national security ahead of the June 7 legislative elections. The council put forward a plan for the voting day that included security measures for polling stations and the organization of traffic during the election period, as well as a central operations office at the Interior Ministry, a statement issued by the Interior Ministry quoted Baroud as saying.
The minister also agreed with the council that a unified military and security plan would be shown to him before being put forward for approval at a meeting between the Interior and Defense ministries, the statement added.
Lebanon”s upcoming elections will pit the Hizbullah-led March 8 coalition against the current parliamentary majority, the March 14 coalition. For the first time since Lebanon”s 1975-1990 Civil War ended, the elections will be held across the country on one day.
Baroud announced in March that all administrative and judicial preparations for the elections had been completed, and that 30,000 security officials – 15,000 from the Internal Security Forces and 15,000 from the LAF – would be deployed across the country on election day to ensure security. The preparation of some 5,500 polling stations is also complete, and 11,500 election employees would vote two days before the elections, the Interior Minister has said.
In an interview with Reuters on Monday, Baroud said he expected the June elections would proceed peacefully. "That”s what I feel from the Cabinet meetings, that”s what I hear from the political groups and I have no reason to think that it is not going to be the case," he told the news agency. "At the same time my job is to be concerned, my job is to do all the assessments needed in order to avoid any bad surprise."
It was also the responsibility of the rival political parties to ensure the elections passed without incident, he said, remarking he did not think the groups wished to jeopardize the Doha Agreement signed in May.
Baroud, a neutral figure in Lebanon”s polarized political landscape, has repeatedly pledged to stand at equal distance from all electoral candidates. Although Baroud is not standing in the elections, he told Reuters he would "be glad" to serve as a minister in the next government. "If not, we will assess later."