The municipal elections last week in Lebanon were the first in six years, casting a ray of hope over a country suffering various internal crises and crumbling under the influx of Syrian refugees. They also offered hope for renewal as civil groups united in the name of change under “Beirut Madinati” or “Beirut, My City”.
In the Beirut daily An-Nahar, Elie Al Hajj observed that the large number of votes received by civil groups were notable in areas with a large Christian majority.
“Maybe their opponents were not aware and taken by surprise on election day. A revolt against traditional parties took hold of younger votes and spread like wildfire before the polls. Young voters, many of whom had not voted before, took the elections as an opportunity to voice their opinions and call for accountability and change,” the columnist noted.
These young voters convinced their parents to get out the vote and encouraged one another on social media. An invisible army of delegates behind computer screens and mobile phones had a far greater effect on voting than in previous elections, according to Al Hajj.
The enthusiasm of Lebanese expatriates from across the world also had an effect on these elections. Put simply, in the minds of these young people, power is power whether it manifests in the Council of Ministers or in municipal councils that govern Beirut.
Groups led by Saad Hariri had the misfortune of offering a list of candidates that offered no vision for change. They basically replicated the current government with many returning members of the Ministerial Council and an equal sectarian distribution, wrote Al Hajj.
“The accumulation of waste and stench in the city, and towns and villages near Beirut over the past eight months was an additional source of frustration. As were the various government scandals and deterioration in living conditions and lack of job opportunities, which have stifled the dreams and ambitions of the youth,” he explained.
The writer reported comments at polling stations that supported his perspective on the election. One person said: “What is the difference between a corrupt Muslim and a corrupt Christian?”
Al Hajj concluded with the point that what happened during these municipal elections is no less than the rebellion of youth within the parties against party leaders and it will have repercussions.
Writing in the pan-Arab daily Al Hayat, Lebanese columnist Hazem Saghieh observed that the Beirut Madinati campaign will not cause the sectarian regime in power to capsize nor can the movement weaken Lebanon’s political mechanics. The sectarian system is deeply rooted in Lebanon’s political history. All other alternatives don’t even come close.
“Symbolically, the Beirut Madinati campaign does not eliminate the ability of marginal political groups to provoke the prevailing political system,” he noted. Given the promise of a real future, the campaign is shifting attitudes of the country’s young people.
“The union achieved in the municipal elections in Beirut was indicative of a new split in Lebanese politics. All sectarian parties stand at one end of the political spectrum while individuals who have not followed their own sect stand on the other end,” Saghieh noted.
Moreover, the campaign slogans focus on a narrow understanding of political identity and rely on outdated notions of loyalty and defending one’s community against foreigners.
On the other hand, Beirut Madinati pushes slogans of choice efficiency, openness, equality between the sexes, effectiveness in government and integrity. With these new slogans, Beirut Madinati is trying to change the roots of Lebanon’s political culture.
Saghieh concluded that the movement of civil groups was a noble attempt by courageous individuals who don’t care if they win at the polls.
*Translated by Carla Mirza
cmirza@thenational.ae
