BEIRUT (AP) – Current Parliament speaker Nabih Berri is urging his colleagues to form a new government quickly, following general elections held last week. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri says Lebanon cannot tolerate any delays because of growing regional tensions and a struggling economy. Parliament Speake Nabih Berri has held the post for more than 25 […]

This article does not necessarily represent khazen.org

middleeasteye.net – In the weeks leading up to Lebanon’s 6 May elections – the first for nine years – much was made of the important role women were supposedly going to play. The numbers were striking: a country where only four women were MPs out of the 128 seats, 86 female candidates were standing for office, an increase of 74 from 2009 when just 12 women ran for parliament. What’s more, the vast majority of them were running outside of the traditional party system, as independent candidates. For many commentators, this surge in women’s participation was a token for change. In the end, however, just six made it to parliament. According to Myriam Sfeir, associate director of the Lebanese American University’s Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World, the traditional political system’s hold over the country was just too strong. “People are not ready to relinquish their sectarian affiliations,” she said.

Battle lost before it began

In some ways the battle for greater female participation was lost before the election even began. In 2017, politicians wrangled for weeks over a new law on how to hold elections, resulting in legislation so complex that Prime Minister Saad Hariri blamed it for the poor voter turnout. And while the new law attempted to be all things to all men, it noticeably fell short in one key aspect: adding a quota for women in parliament. At the time, Hariri’s Future Movement was a loud voice backing the introduction of a quota to ensure 30 percent female participation in parliament. Yet the initiative hit fierce resistance from other parties, and the idea was quickly scrapped. But many refuse to be deterred. The women’s ministry, in partnership with the United Nations and European Union, subsequently ran a campaign ahead of the election promoting parity between the sexes.

Across Lebanon the slogan “Half the population, half the parliament” was displayed on billboards, television and social media. In Lebanon’s new parliament, however, just 4.7 percent of its MPs are women. Many blame Lebanon’s new electoral law, which is a mix of proportional list voting – which should have encouraged non-traditional candidates, like women – undermined by a preferential vote, whereby the voter chooses their favourite personality on the list to give that candidate priority over others. As a result, said Ammar Abboud, an expert in electoral law and member of the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections, hopes that a greater number of candidates would translate into a greater number of MPs were misplaced. “With the preferential vote, members of the same list find themselves competing against each other. To minimise their losses, some candidates put women on their lists precisely because they were less likely to get preferential votes,” Abboud said.

This article does not necessarily represents the opinion of khazen.org 

by Alex Lockie – businessinsider.com – President Donald Trump dealt Tehran a huge blow by withdrawing the US from the Iran nuclear deal, and now Iran’s troubled regime has few face-saving options besides a full-on confrontation. Between the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian targets in Syria, Iran is being backed into a corner. Iran is not yet free to pursue nuclear weapons. It’s still in the deal with the remaining members that did not withdraw. But Trump’s secondary sanctions on anyone doing business with Iran, and Iran’s failing economy, make the prospects for the survival of the deal dim. “I think the key question we are now facing is what impact the American announcement will have on continuing European and Asian engagement with Iran,” Malcolm Chalmers, the Royal United Services Institute’s deputy director general, told Business Insider. Iran gave up its nuclear ambitions to get sanctions relief in the form of the deal, but that relief has now been blocked. Trump’s constant down talking of the deal led investors to hesitate before investing in Iran. Combined with an “unfriendly” investment climate in the country, the cash influx never really materialized, said Chalmers.

The one thing that worked well for Iran under the deal was an increase in oil sales, and now that’s come under threat too. “Secondary sanctions will penalize any foreign companies that do business with Iran,” said Chalmers. Effectively, the US has ruined the deal for Iran with sanctions and threats of sanctions, so Iran will probably pull out sooner or later, said Chalmers. The Trump administration, as David Sanger and David Kirkpatrick wrote in The New York Times, is betting that Iran lacks the economic strength to confront the US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. But, as they point out, America’s allies warn that is a dangerous miscalculation that could lead to war.

Israel is beating up Iran quietly; the US is beating them up loudly

Iran’s problems don’t start and end with the deal. The US and Israel assess that Iran is trying to import a huge number of fighters and missiles to Syria and Lebanon to surround and eventually attack the Jewish state. Israel refuses to accept this, and has allegedly undertaken a series of airstrikes that increasingly target Iranian military officials. Some of the airstrikes have been nothing short of spectacular, with hundreds of Iranian rockets and dozens of fighters reportedly dying. But Israel has kept quiet and not confirmed any specific strikes so far. “There has been almost no gloating by Israel for the [recent] attack… despite indications that the attack has succeeded in one respect by hitting quite serious targets,” Jonathan Schanzer, Vice President of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told Business Insider. Iran has vowed to retaliate, but they have few options. “The highest priority of Iranians is how to take revenge,” former Mossad director and retired Major General Danny Yatom told Business Insider. “On those attacks that are related [to Israel] they will not send us flowers, they will try to send something else.” Iran can “either fire missiles from where they’re deployed now,” within Syria and Lebanon, or “they can use Hezbollah to ambush our forces over the border,” said Yatom, referring to the Shia group prominent in Lebanese politics and designated by the US and Israel as a terror group. Furthermore, the US has announced its intentions to support Israel in pushing back Iran and said it would come to Israel’s defense. So short of attacking Israel outright in a way that could easily cause an all-out war that would see many Iranians die, Tehran has few options.

No diplomatic or economic recourse, only missiles

“It’s a no brainer for almost all European companies” on whether to do business with the US or with Iran, according to Chalmers. The US is the world’s most powerful military and economy. Iran’s Rial recently tanked in value to about 60,000 to the dollar. Meanwhile, Iran cracked down on the financial liberties of its citizens, barring them from holding more than $10,000 in foreign currency. Now with the US moving to freeze Iran’s Central Bank, the country’s economy, already savaged by sanctions, looks particularly weak. Iran has powerful influence within the Shia Islamic world, but that’s a small world already being pushed by Iran to pressure Israel. In Iran, the clerical regime frequently engages in chants of “death to America” and “death to Israel,” but they have no practical means of achieving these goals. With a hard line staked out by the leaders of the Islamic Republic, and their backs against the wall, some form of warfare may be their only option.

By Caitlin Antonios — newuniversity.org – If comedians are the new rock stars, then Nemr might just be Lebanon’s Mick Jagger. The Lebanese-American stand-up comedian has made waves in the Middle East for his hilarious, biting and thoughtful comedy. He is the only Arab comic to have a special out in the U.S.: “No Bombing in Beirut,” which premiered in 2017 on Showtime. Filmed in both Lebanon and America, the special cuts from location to location to emphasize the fundamental truth that people from all different backgrounds and cultures can laugh at the same things. His new show, “Love Isn’t the Answer,” (an intentionally provocative title) can be seen at Irvine Improv on May 10 and centers on the philosophy that love makes people complacent and hate is what spurs progress and change. “Love isn’t the answer,” said Nemr in an interview. “The answer is actually hate! Everyone is saying ‘love trumps hate’ but that doesn’t create change. Love can be terrible in the wrong hands and hate can be great in the right hands.” For Nemr, people must truly hate a situation for them to do something about it and create change for the better. While some may not agree with that philosophy, as long as they’re laughing at his shows, he’s done his job.

His love for comedy emerged at a young age after his family moved from Lebanon to San Diego during the Lebanese Civil War. Listening to old comedy shows made him realize the power of being able to make someone laugh. When Nemr’s family moved back to Lebanon in 1993, he struggled to adjust. Sometimes there was no electricity, no hot water — it certainly wasn’t America. After getting over his initial culture shock, Nemr says he fell in love with Lebanon and its people, which is why it became so important for him to bring a Lebanese perspective to a wider audience. “I fell fiercely in love with the country,” said Nemr. “We have so much history and culture, going back to the Phoenicians, and we’ve learned so much that needs to be shared with the rest of the world.” That perspective, Nemr says, is often drowned out by the media’s narrative of terrorism and chaos which he believes is the responsibility of other Arabs to change in the United States. For him, comedy is the key. After graduating from the American University of Beirut (AUB) in 2005 as a finance major with a minor in philosophy, and seeing a resurgence in war the following year, Nemr began working to build a foundation for comedians. Arab culture tends to steer away from the arts and focus on more “stable” jobs like becoming a doctor or an engineer. First, Nemr had to prove that comedy was actually a business that could be a concrete way to make a living. Then he had to show people there was a market for comedy in the Middle East and comics were worth hiring. Finally, and most importantly, there had to be talent. While in America, becoming a comedian and getting on stage to perform stand-up can be facilitated, Nemr was facing the unprecedented challenge of creating a space for comedy in a country and culture that seemed initially hesitant to embrace it. “It takes a long time and it’s going to take a long time before there is really a thriving comedy scene,” said Nemr. “I just helped build the infrastructure.”

by aawsat.com — Beirut – Asharq Al-Awsat Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun said on Tuesday he would cooperate with Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Saad Hariri to enable the new parliament restore its legislative and regulatory role as a natural platform for discussing issues that concern the people. In this regard, the president stressed his […]

by  Rob Price – Business Insider — The social networking giant is undergoing a huge restructuring, switching up its executives and rearranging the company into three core product areas. Recode has a big report out with lots of the key details, and some Facebook execs are sharing info on Twitter. A Facebook spokesperson confirmed the news of […]

Official results of the Lebanese Parliamentary elections 

by Malek el Khazen —

1- Today Hezbollah and Amal plus their close allies such as Jamil el Sayyed, Azar and others form a total of 43 Member Parliament’s (MP’s) out of the 128 MP’s seats in the Lebanese Parliament. This is without counting the MP’s from the Tayyar (Free Patriotic Movement). The Hezbollah-Amal coalition represent 1/3 of the parliament. This is an increase of approx 12 MP’s from last parliamentary election. This means no major laws can pass without the support of Hezbollah and Amal to these laws. They control 27 of the 28 Chi’a MP position in the Lebanese Parliament.  And possibly the only Chi’ite MP that was elected outside of their list will soon join them (he met today with Amal leader). 

2- The Lebanese-Forces have done very well for their party, but in terms Lebanese control, Hezbollah and Amal are the big winner. Now the Amal coalition is asking for the Ministry of Finance to be always assigned to a Chi’a – What is next?

3- The Future Movement under the leadership of PM Hariri and the Free Patriotic Movement under leadership of Bassil had disappointing results to say the least. Both parties are in power, in all of the different branches of the Lebanese Government and they did not have clear decisive wins. The resources of many candidates that was running against them were extremely limited compared to the resources that they had access to. For example, some of the resources owned by the FPM and Future movement: TV and Radio Stations in addition to major internet sites and newspapers. Finally, they were still part of the government, and had access to many Lebanese institutions supporting them. While others had limited resources compared to their power and still were able to win.  Whoever says that they were able to keep their representation at the same level as it is today or have a majority of Member Parliament together is not looking at the correct picture accurately. Other parties have expanded their reach dramatically by more than 30% while they are stagnating (FPM) or diminishing (Future movement) 

4- The diaspora really need to take  the next elections seriously, this will be the only hope for a real change. A reminder, there is over 15 million Lebanese live in the diaspora. Just imagine if only 1 million register what type of changes can be made! But if Hezbollah and Amal or other parties decide to stop supporting diaspora voting  then the future is grim. 

Opinion of this article does not necessarily represents khazen.org 

by Ali Harb – middleeasteye.net

BEIRUT – Lebanon’s parliament and political system have not been radically changed by Sunday’s election. Preliminary results show the re-election of dozens of incumbents. New faces are sparse and old politics have prevailed once more. Nonetheless, some traditional political forces have faced setbacks, while others have declared victory.

Here are five takeaways from Lebanon’s first election in nine years.

1. Hezbollah ‘the biggest winner’ The introduction of proportional voting was bound to hurt dominant political forces that enjoy exclusive representation of their sectarian base. Not Hezbollah. On Monday, the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah spoke of a big political and electoral victory for the “Resistance”, saying that Hezbollah proved wrong any doubts about the support that it enjoys within its base. The group’s Shia bloc emerged from the election unscratched. Shia dissent against Hezbollah and its allies in the Amal Movement in the south was so negligible that opposing lists failed to reach the election threshold. Besides retaining Shia representation in full, Hezbollah was able to expand its base in the parliament, picking up seats for Sunni and Christian allies in Beirut and the Western Beqaa Valley. “Hezbollah is the biggest winner in this election,” Kassem Kassir, a journalist and the author of the book Hezbollah between 1982 and 2016, told MEE. He added that the party and its direct allies will end up with a 50-MP bloc, not counting President Michel Aoun’s lawmakers. That will give them a decisive role in forming the government and naming the prime minister. Several pro-Damascus politicians who had lost power after Syrian troops’ withdrawal from the country are back in the parliament thanks to Hezbollah’s support. They include former deputy parliament speaker Elie Frezli and ex-Defence Minister Abdel Rahim Mrad. Hezbollah and its Iranian backers are bracing for a possible confrontation with Iran in Syria, amid increasingly hostile rhetoric from Washington. Kassir said Hezbollah’s military role regionally is not dictated by internal Lebanese affairs, but the electoral victory will further strengthen the group’s position domestically.

2. PM Hariri faces major setback

Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s Future Movement lost seats in several districts where it was previously unchallenged. The party is expected to shed about a third of its share of the parliament – currently at 29 MPs. Hezbollah and its allies took four seats in west Beirut, and independent billionaire businessman Fouad Makhzoumi got elected as well. In Tripoli, the Future Movement lost five of the district’s 11 seats to Sunni rivals – ex-Prime Minister Najib Mikati picked up four while Faisal Karameh, a former minister and the heir of a political dynasty in the north, was able to make it to the parliament. Hariri supporters in Beirut on election day (MEE/ Ali Harb) Meanwhile, former justice minister Ashraf Rifi was soundly defeated in his hometown of Tripoli, effectively ending his quest to challenge Hariri for Sunni leadership. Hariri is no longer the unquestionable leader of Sunnis. This new delegated status will create an opportunity for challengers for the premiership. It will also allow Hezbollah to sideline Hariri without appearing to suppress the entire Sunni sect. Kassir said election results will force Hariri to continue to compromise with Hezbollah, in a trend that began when he agreed to electing the group’s ally Aoun as president in 2015. The deal allowed Hariri to return as prime minister. The Future Movement intensified its verbal attacks against Hezbollah during the campaign, but Kassir expects Hariri to be more “realistic” about confronting the Shia group going forward. “He has no option but to continue with the settlement,” Kassir said of the prime minister.

3. Lebanese Forces become real force

Right Wing Christian group the Lebanese Forces (LF) is expected to expand its presence in the parliament from 8 to 15 MPs, making it a major force in Christian politics. LF staunchly opposes Hezbollah and calls its weapons illegitimate. The group, which operated as a brutal militia in the 1975-1990 civil war, was banned during the Syrian control of Lebanon until 2005. LF leader Samir Geagea was jailed from 1994 to 2005 after being accused of war-time assassinations. Geagea has been denounced as a war criminal by his rivals. His supporters argue that he was unfairly demonised because of his opposition to Syria’s presence in Lebanon, while other warlords went on to occupy the highest positions in the state. “The Lebanese Forces have emerged as a mainstream force,” Jawad Adra, the founder of Information International analysis firm, told MEE. He said Geagea can say that he has won all the seats without much help from allies and solidify his legitimacy as a politician away from his wartime past.

With Aoun in the presidential palace, his Free Patriotic Party (FPM) looked to at least maintain its large bloc in the parliament in support of the presidency. But the FPM is set to lose a few of its 27 seats. Gebran Bassil, foreign minister, Aoun’s son-in-law and FPM president, made it to the parliament after two unsuccessful attempts in 2005 and 2009. Still, the FPM dropped seats in Mount Lebanon and the North, mostly because of proportional representation, and now it has to deal with stronger opposition from Geagea, who was vying for the presidency himself.

4. Civil society struggles

Independent candidates across Lebanon tried to challenge established political parties on Sunday, but they were unsuccessful. Reeling against sectarianism, patronage and corruption, activists made a stance against the system while working within its boundaries via the election. In almost every district, fresh faces offered an alternative to the paradigm driven by sectarianism and geopolitics. Their message was only heard in the mostly Christian Beirut 1 district, where journalist Paula Yacoubian, an independent candidate with the Kollouna Watani slate, made it to the parliament. Late on Sunday, several Lebanese outlets had reported that another Kollouna Watani candidate Joumana Haddad was elected in Beirut 1, but a recount on Monday ruled her out. Activists are pointing to potential foul play. Hundreds of Haddad’s supporters gathered in front of the Interior Ministry in Beirut on Monday to denounce the results. Demonstrators chanted against Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk, who oversaw the elections, calling him a thug. The impromptu protest showed activists’ ability to still mobilise on the street despite the setback of the election. Still, one or even two lawmakers will have a hard time mounting a meaningful opposition in the parliament. While the discrepancy in resources between political parties and independent candidates is huge, the truth remain that electors overwhelmingly stuck to traditional political allegiances in most places. Nariman Chamaa, Kollouna Watani candidate in Tripoli, blamed “election money” for the result, saying that politicians were buying votes all day across the northern city. “When money is being spent without any limits, the state was using all of its authority and resources to get its candidates re-elected,” Chamaa told MEE.

5. Election a success, government says

The interior minister Machnouk has hailed the election as a “democratic festival.” Despite political and sectarian tensions, the new voting system and the fact that the country had not voted in nearly a decade, Machnouk said there were no major clashes to halt or interrupt the process. There were a few reports of heated arguments and voting violations, but election day was largely peaceful. In a country where politics and violence often intersect, this itself is an accomplishment, authorities said. In a press conference early on Monday, Machnouk said all problems were swiftly addressed when brought to the attention of the ministry. Nasrallah also dubbed the election an “accomplishment”, praising the government and President Aoun for its success. Adra said the election was indeed a success for the political system, pointing out that a political regime built on sectarian allocations was able to get large segments of the population who reject it to nonetheless participate in it.

Congratulations Cheikh Farid Haykal el Khazen for winning the parliamentary elections representing Keserouan, Ftouh and Jbeil. 

A great win for all of Keserwan!! 

مبروك شيخ فريد هيكل الخازن .. مبروك لآل الخازن #انتخابات_لبنان

Congratulations from khazen.org to Cheikh Nadim Bachir Gemayel – A big win!!

Lebanese election turnout was 49.2 percent: minister

#انتخابات_لبنان أظهرت النتائج النهائية غير الرسمية ان حزب القوات حصد 15 مقعدا ، تيار العزم 4 مقاعد،حزب الله 14 مقعدا، أمل16 مقعدا،الحزب السوري القومي 3 مقاعد، تيار المردة 4 مقاعد، حزب الكتائب3 مقاعد،تكتل التغيير والاصلاح 27 مقعدا، تيار المستقبل 21 مقعدا والحزب التقدمي 10 مقاعد

BEIRUT (AP) — The Latest on Lebanon’s elections (all times local):

8 p.m.

The head of Lebanese President Michel Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement says it has won at least 29 seats in parliamentary elections, making it the largest bloc in the assembly. Gibran Bassil, who serves as foreign minister and heads Aoun’s party, told reporters on Monday that their bloc could end up having 30 seats. He said it would maintain its “strategic alliance” with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. The Free Patriotic Movement was the second largest in the outgoing parliament after Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s bloc, which had 32 seats but appears to have lost a third of them in Sunday’s elections. Hariri is likely to remain in his post, but Hezbollah and its allies appear to have gained enough seats in the 128-member legislature to veto legislation. ___

6:45 p.m.

Supporters of an outside candidate forecast to win a seat in parliament in Lebanon’s national elections have gathered outside the Interior Ministry to protest what they say are clear signs of fraud to deny her victory. Joumana Haddad, a novelist and candidate with the independent Kulna Watani list – Arabic for “We are all patriots” – was forecast to win by the national media on Sunday, one of just two victories for the list. But TV channels stopped reporting her victory on Monday, leading supporters to say they were robbed. Lucian Bourjeily, a candidate with Watani, said “the people in power didn’t like this result, so they proceeded with rigging the result in the last minute.” Sunday’s forecasts were based on unofficial tallies gathered at polling stations. The Interior Ministry has not published its official results, 23 hours after polls closed. The Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections reported over 7,000 polling violations in Sunday’s elections. Fights broke out in and around polling stations around the country. In one instance, an angry crowd smashed a ballot box inside a polling station, spilling completed ballots across the floor. The army ordered the media inside to turn off their cameras. ___

6:30 p.m.

The leader of Hezbollah says gains in Lebanon’s parliamentary elections will give “protection” to the Iran-backed militant group. Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech Monday that the “mission is accomplished” after weeks of campaigning. Hezbollah is considered a terrorist group by the U.S., but its political wing has long held seats in Lebanon’s parliament and is part of Lebanon’s outgoing coalition government. Nasrallah did not say how many seats his group and its allies won, but early results show that they have won at least 43 of the legislature’s 128 seats, giving them the power to veto laws. Early results show that Hezbollah’s bloc now has 13 members, one more than previously. Nasrallah said: “There is a major political, parliamentarian and moral victory for the choice of the resistance.”

__ 4:45 p.m.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri has acknowledged that his parliamentary bloc lost seats in this week’s elections, blaming it on a new electoral law and a performance “that wasn’t up to the standard.” In a televised statement Monday, Hariri said “my hand is extended to every Lebanese who participated in the elections to preserve stability and create jobs.” Hariri said his group won 21 seats in Sunday’s vote, 11 fewer than what it had been holding since 2009. The prime minister still heads the largest parliamentary bloc and will likely form a new national unity Cabinet. He says he will continue to work closely with President Michel Aoun, who is allied with a rival bloc led by the militant Hezbollah. ___

11 a.m.

Lebanese media say the Iran-backed Hezbollah group appears to have made gains in the parliamentary elections held on Sunday while the Western-backed Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s Future Movement party has sustained losses. Preliminary and unofficial results, which are more or less expected to match the official count, show that Sunni voters are losing faith in Hariri’s party amid a stagnant economy and general exasperation over the civil war in neighboring Syria which has brought 1 million refugees to Lebanon. Hariri, a Sunni politician with close ties to Saudi Arabia, has so far lost five seats in Beirut, once considered a stronghold for his party. Hezbollah and its allies appear set to take at least 47 seats in the 128-seat parliament, which would enable them to veto any laws it opposes.

Congratulation to Cheikh Farid Haykal el Khazen for winning the Parliamentary elections in Keseroan, Ftouh and Jbeil A great win for Keserwan  –  مبروك شيخ فريد هيكل الخازن .. مبروك لآل الخازن #انتخابات_لبنان