By Michael Combier-Talk Radio News Service
Middle East Institute Scholar Graeme Bannerman says that the Shia community in Lebanon considers Hezbollah as their mentor and their leader. (0:27)
By Michael Combier-Talk Radio News Service
Middle East Institute Scholar Graeme Bannerman says that 95 percent of the Shia voting population has voted for Hezbollah in the recent Parliamentary election in Lebanon and that for this reason the organization cannot be pushed aside from the political arena. (0:15)
By Michael Combier-Talk Radio News Service
Middle East Institute Scholar Graeme Bannerman says “Lebanon is not a democracy, it is a greed republic”. (0:20)
By Michael Combier-Talk Radio News Service
The results of the Lebanon Parliamentary election on June 7th represent a step forward for the country, but sectarian division still exists and may de-stabilize the nation in the future said Middle East experts who gathered at a forum today at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington D.C.
“The fact that the election went smoothly gives us hope…It could potentially put Lebanon on a positive trajectory toward greater reform and reconciliation,” said Mona Yacoubian, a special advisor to the Institute’s Muslim World Initiative.
The opposition, including the Maronite leader Michel Aoun and Hezbollah, did not pick up any seats in Parliament. Middle East Institute Scholar Graeme Bannerman attributed this to the fact that the country’s Sunni population voted mainly in support of Lebanon’s pro-Western bloc, known as the ‘“March 14th Coalition.” Bannerman added that “General Aoun’s people lost support within the Christian community.”
Despite the results, Hezbollah still remains a strong influence in the country, and the next government will have to find a way to work with the anti-Western organization said most of the panel’s participants.
“The Hezbollah is positioning itself for a kind of a deal” that will involve a political status quo on the organization’s militarization said Randa Slim, a scholar at the USIP.
Because of the Hezbollah’s control in local districts of Lebanon, the government, led by the ‘March 14 Coalition,’ “will be less likely to call in the immediate term for Hezbollah’s disarmament,” added Slim.
Lebanon’s Interior Minister will soon release the county-by-county election results.
By Celia Canon-Talk Radio News Service
Lebanon has undergone a period of transition as it moves toward a more democratic political system.
As witnessed by the June 7th presidential elections that propelled the Pro-Western Party to power, the impulse to draw a line between the past and the present has brought over 50% of the population to vote.
Graeme Bannerman, MEI adjunct scholar, discussed the positive changes that took place in Lebanon this weekend.
Bannerman said that “The enthusiasm of the Lebanese cannot be underestimated,” later adding that “There was enthusiasm throughout the country for the elections even in areas where there was not stiffed race.”
In 2005, Lebanon underwent a domestic revolution which led to the expulsion of the Syrian military and intelligence, following the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Ongoing investigations have pointed to Syria as the executioner.
Syrian was in control of Lebanese politics for over 30 years.
This year’s elections were significant to Lebanon in that they reflected a more stable environment to vote for a new government, one that would have seen candidates lead actual campaigns instead of being appointment out of urgency.
On the many points of democratic impulse, Bannerman said “In areas where there was competition and that was mainly in the christian regions, there was very stiff competition and it was very spirited competition: there were long line, there were people who cared about it, and people showed up and voted.”
In addition to more options, Bannerman spoke of a change in the role of the army, an institution often assumed to be authoritative, saying that “The security was provided by the army and the police, but it was not intimidating security, it was present, it was there it was efficient… The election as a whole went well.”
However Bannerman also mitigated his words, warning that “25% of the districts did not have government candidates” and there were “people with election shirts inside the polling space.”
“There were clearly things they need to improve but everybody gives credit for this being a good election to the minister of the interior,” said Bannerman.
In fact, says Bannerman, even “The opposition… said it was a good election.”
“Where in the Arab world do you actually have an election where people honestly believe that they can affect the outcome of their lives and their government and everything else?,” Bannerman said.
Bilal Saab, a Lebanon expert at the Brookings Institution, explains that the Lebanese president is faced with a ‘balancing act’ as he should try to satisfy two opposing groups. Indeed, the radical Hezbollah party does not trust the President for his Western inclinations whilst the March 14th coalition of anti-Syrians believes the President is too lenient with the Syrians. As a result, the President might not be granted additional powers. (0:41)
Graeme Bannerman, a Middle East Institute adjunct scholar, explains that there has been no change in the balance of power in Lebanon, with all ethnic groups being represented through the elections. (0:42)
Graeme Bannerman, a Middle East Institute adjunct scholar, says that the Lebanese Minister of Interior is to thank for the success of the June 7th election. Bannerman explains that the Minister was a non-partisan in the elections, and in a surprising move, the opposition parties agreed that the job was well done. (0:25)
Ambassador Tom C. Korologos comments on the United States accomplishments in the Middle-East and Iraq. Korologos also comments on the situation in Afghanistan. (0:54)
The American Enterprise Institute hosted a panel on Lebanon highlighting many of the issues affecting the country. The panel consisted of Danielle Pletka and Michael Rubin of AEI, Robert Malley of the International Crisis Group, Lee Smith of the Hudson Institute, and Hassan Mneimneh, Iraq Memory Foundation.
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