Khazen

Lebanese elections results in keseroaun 2009

كسروان

 

عدد الأقلام المفرزة: 121\149
 
عدد الأصوات المفرزة: 45884\60336
 
عدد البلدات: 69
 
عدد المقاعد: 5

 

 

   معدل أصوات لائحة التغيير والاصلاح
  معدل أصوات لائحة الموالاة 
 

 
   ادما والدفنه  
 
   163  
 
   89  
 
 
   اغبة  
 
   60  
 
   101  
 
 
   بوار  
 
   567  
 
   676  
 
 
   حصين  
 
   237  
 
   34  
 
 
   زعيتره  
 
   0  
 
   0  
 
 
   صفرا  
 
   609  
 
   233  
 
 
   عبرا وشان  
 
   67  
 
   163  
 
 
   عذره والعذر  
 
   172  
 
   216  
 
 
   عقيبة  
 
   262  
 
   198   
 
 

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March 14 coalition retains majority after parliamentary elections

March 14 coalition retains majority after parliamentary elections
Opposition source concedes defeat, accepts ‘will of people’
By Mirella Hodeib
Daily Star staff
Monday, June 08, 2009

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s opposition conceded defeat against the March 14 coalition in pivotal polls Sunday after weeks of fierce campaigning. "We’ve lost the election," a senior opposition source, who declined to be identified, told Reuters. "We accept the result as the will of the people." "We’ll go back to the way we were," the source added.

The opposition source said the March 14 coalition is expected to ensure between 69 and 70 seats in the 128 parliament.  The number matches figures predicted by the March 14 Forces.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt on Sunday warned the March 14 Forces against "isolating the other party."

The 2009 electoral battle centered in Christian districts, since the results of almost 100 seats of the assembly were decided in advance.

As The Daily Star went to press, unofficial results showed the March 14 Forces won by a clean sweep the districts of Beirut I, Batroun, Koura, and Bsharreh, and Tripoli.

According to unofficial results, Prime Minster Fouad Siniora won a parliamentary seat in the coastal city of Sidon. 

 

Preliminary results also showed the March 14 Forces as having a chance to win the Bekaa town of Zahle’s seven seats.

According to unofficial results, the Free Patriotic Movement won all seats in the districts of Kesrouan, Jbeil, Baabda and Jezzine. 

The results of another decisive district, Metn were still unclear at dawn on Sunday. 

 

 

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Kesrouaun turnout of 70 percent highest in country

Kesrouaun turnout of 70 percent highest in country
By Therese Sfeir
Daily Star staff
Monday, June 08, 2009

KESROUAN: Kesrouan witnessed the highest turnout in the parliamentary elections on Sunday, with the participation rate in the district reaching 70 percent. Residents of Kesrouan-Ftouh started to gather at polling stations at 6 a.m. Sunday under tight security measures.

Two lists battled for the five Maronite seats in Kesrouan. The Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) headed by retired General Michel Aoun ran against a list formed by the March 14 Forces and Independents.

The FPM list included Aoun, Farid Elias Khazen, Youssef Khalil, Gilberte Zwein and Neamatallah Abi Nasr, all of whom represented Kesrouan in the Parliament that was elected in 2005.

The March 14 Forces and Independents’ list included former MPs Farid Haykal Khazen, Mansour Bon and Fares Boueiz, the president of the National Liberal Party Carlos Edde and journalist Sejaan Azzi.

Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud cast his ballot in the town of Jeita.

Addressing reporters afterward, he said that competition was a "sign of healthy elections."

After casting his ballot in the town of Mayrouba, Reform and Change MP Youssef Khalil expressed his satisfaction with the electoral process in general, but complained about delays and some obstructions facing voters.

He also urged Baroud to ask staff at polling stations to "speed up the electoral process, taking into consideration the massive participation of voters."

Khalil added that the election process would likely extend into the evening hours at "most of the stations as the participation rate is very high, which is very positive."

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Lebanon Moderates Turn Attention

Lebanon Moderates Turn Attention

BEIRUT — After widening its majority in weekend parliamentary elections, a Western-backed coalition here now must form a new government, a task almost a fraught as the election itself.

AFP/Getty Images

Lebanese Muslim women lined up to cast their votes at a polling station in the northern city of Tripoli.

The March 14 movement won 71 seats in Lebanon’s 128-seat body, increasing its parliamentary hold by one. The opposition came away with 57 seats, according to official results released by the interior ministry Monday afternoon. Many pollsters had expected the opposition to make gains–if not capture an outright majority– because of redistricting since the last polling in 2005.

From Washington and across the Middle East, the vote was seen as a proxy battle between the influence of the West and its Arab allies on one side, and Iran and Syria on the other. But the smooth formation of a new government here could be a more important test of March 14’s political strength.

Saad Hariri, the son of slain Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and leader of March 14, has said he plans to invite the opposition into the next government. But he and his allies want to remove the veto power the opposition now wields over most government policy.

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FACTBOX: Facts on Lebanon’s economy

Reuters) – The economy of Lebanon, which held a parliamentary election on Sunday, has shown what the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has described as "remarkable resilience" in the face of the global financial crisis.

Following are some of the economy’s main features:

 

GROWTH

 

The economy grew more than 8 percent in 2008 according to the IMF, despite a first half marred by the worst internal fighting since the 1975-90 civil war and the onset of the global financial crisis. Policymakers project growth of 4 percent or more in 2009.

 

HEFTY PUBLIC DEBT

 

Lebanon’s public debt burden is one of the heaviest in the world at around 162 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), much of it incurred as a result of reconstruction after the civil war. The debt was measured at $47.21 billion in February, around 44 percent of it in foreign currency, according to the finance ministry. The government has cited progress in reducing the debt-to-GDP ratio to 162 percent from around 180 percent in 2006. Moody’s recently upgraded Lebanon’s sovereign ratings, citing a substantial improvement in its external liquidity and the proven resistance of public finances to shocks. The state’s deficit for 2009 is projected at around 12 percent of GDP.

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Key to Lebanon vote: Christians

The final result in Sunday’s knife-edge parliamentary election was expected to hinge on which way the divided Christian community votes in a few important districts.

Dozens of Lebanese voters thronged a polling station in this Christian town Sunday morning, waiting patiently in the brilliant sunshine to participate in an election that will have ramifications far beyond Lebanon’s small borders.

Hundreds of voters, many of them clad in brightly colored clothes of orange, blue, red, and yellow reflecting their political affiliations, descended on the polls as they opened at 7 a.m. local time.

The election pits the Western-backed March 14 bloc against an opposition coalition. As voting began, it was impossible to predict the result of this knife-edge electoral race, with possibly as few as two or three seats in the 128-seat parliament deciding the outcome.

The final result is expected to hinge on which way the divided Christian community votes in a few key districts, including the Greek Catholic town of Zahle, tucked into a valley on the western flank of the Bekaa Valley. Many Christians, along with Sunnis and Druze, support the March 14 ruling coalition.

"I’m voting for March 14," says Paula Maalouf, displaying her purple-stained thumb indicating she had cast her vote. She listed the names of several prominent March 14 figures who were assassinated over the past four years, including Samir Qassir, a journalist who died in a car bomb blast in June 2005, and Gibran Tueni, the general manager of the leading An Nahar newspaper, who was killed by another car bomb in December 2005.

"They sacrificed their lives for our country and we should continue the road that they trod for their memory and for the sake of the Christians in the East," Ms. Maalouf says.

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Walid Abi-Mercheed article on elections

لبنان: انتخاب أم «تصويت»؟

وليد أبي مرشد
أول ما يتبادر إلى ذهن من يراقب الردح الانتخابي المتمادي في لبنان أنها المرة الأولى التي يمارس فيها اللبنانيون حق الاقتراع لمجلس نيابي.. فالخطاب الانتخابي لمعظم المرشحين لا يوفر ما يسمى، في القانون اللبناني، «قدحا وذما»، وفي الشارع شتما وسبابا، وفي أدب الحياة بذاءة وإسفافا.
مناسبة هذه الملاحظة هي التقرير الثاني الذي أصدرته هيئة الإشراف على الحملة الانتخابية في لبنان بعد تحليل 32 ألف تسجيل عائد لأنشطة وكلمات مرتبطة بالنشاط الانتخابي للمرشحين والسياسيين وفيه تخلص إلى الاستنتاج بأن الحملة الانتخابية عززت ما أسمته الهيئة بـ«خطاب الكراهية» المخل بإحكام المادة 68 من قانون الانتخابات النيابية ـ التي تنص على تأمين «التوازن والحياد والامتناع عن خطاب الكراهية» ـ ناهيك بإخلاله باللياقة السياسية وحتى بالآداب العامة في بلد لا يتحمل أمنه ولا اقتصاده لغة التحديات والشتائم.

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Elections in Lebanon No change

Behind the News by Malek el Khazen

Sunni shift of Policy – Lebanese election no change – New Strategies in the Middle East Regions btw Israel – Arab governments and Iran

 This article purpose is to point to your attention the shift in the Sunni position in Lebanon and the region overall. The upcoming election in Lebanon is only important for Lebanese but will NOT make a difference in the region. In fact, the real fight will be in the Christian cities and very few cities that are not Christian dominated. The Sunni Majority will still be under the Future movement control which has very close ties with Egyptian and Saudi-Arabia governments. The Chi’a majority will still be under Hezbollah and Amal control which has very close ties to Iran and Syria governments. You will still find Christians allied to both camps regardless the election results. And this will maintain equilibrium. The biggest change is that if the Christians that are allied with Hezbollah and Amal win election instead of nominating Hariri as head of the Gornment, Mikati most likely will be the nominee (currently allied with the Future movement). So all of these articles pointing to the regional importance of the Lebanese elections are not correct because if you analyze the situation very carefully the only change will happen is in the Christian regions and this is ASSUMING that CHANGE will happen. And from a regional perspective there are no major differences between Mikati and Hariri.
 
In fact, I will list number of facts later in the articles and you will notice the Egyptian Government (who is a main supporter of the current Lebanese Government and the Lebanese majority Coalition led by the Future movement) lead a fierce campaign against Hezbollah during the month of April until the beginning of the moth May. The Egyptian Gov have arrested some Hezbollah members, this is not new for some members of Hezbollah to get arrested in Egypt (previously  in 2008 they were other members that were arrested) but what is new is the media campaign that Egypt has pursued against Hezbollah and Iran in a second plan through Hezbollah. They went so far in mocking the leader of Hezbollah. After President Mubarak meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, the media campaign against Hezbollah leader completely stopped. But what is important to note is that after this meeting the Lebanese Internal Security Forces lead by Riffi who is very close to the Future movement is leading the arrest against the Israel spies in Lebanon. So as you can notice there is a shift of strategy with the Sunni in the region. In fact, just notice Egyptian government lead a campaign against Hezbollah then this campaign completely stop after the meeting of Mubarak and Netanyahu and their allies in Lebanon (The Lebanese government controlled by the majority coalition Future movement) after this meeting instead of continuing targeting Iran and Hezbollah spies are NOW targeting Israeli Spies in Lebanon. This strengthens Hezbollah position and weakens Israel position greatly. Why this shift of the Sunni strategy in the region in a so short of time from targeting Hezbollah spies to a shift targeting Israeli spies? Yes Egypt government has clear links with the Sunni Majority in Lebanon. So let us not try to assume that what is currently happening in Lebanon is not at the least I could say supported by Egypt. So the question is why this shift of strategy of the Sunni governments in the Middle East and suddenly getting very close to Hezbollah and Iran by leading the arrest of the Israeli spies in Lebanon?
 
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Spies’ Roots Reach Deep in Lebanon

 

Published: May 22, 2009

BEIRUT, Lebanon — When the Lebanese authorities announced the arrest of an Israeli spy ring late last year, the news aroused little surprise. It is no secret that Israel has long maintained intelligence agents here.

But in recent weeks, more and more suspects have been captured, including a retired general, several security officials and a deputy mayor. All told, at least 21 people have been arrested, and 3 others escaped over the border into Israel with the help of the Israeli military, Lebanese officials say.

The spying network’s extent has mesmerized the Lebanese and made headlines here. It has also infuriated Lebanese officials, who sent an official protest to the United Nations this week. On Friday, President Michel Suleiman complained about the matter in a meeting here with Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.

The arrests appear to reflect a newly energized and coordinated effort by the Lebanese security agencies, which now cooperate far more effectively among themselves and with Hezbollah, the Shiite militant group based here, than they did in the past.

“New technologies have helped in catching them,” said Gen. Ashraf Rifi, the director of the Internal Security Forces. “But we have also had better cooperation with the army than we had before.”

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