The Metn vote favours the opposition, but reduces Aoun’s power
Beirut (AsiaNews) – The Lebanese opposition has earned an extra seat in parliament, in elections held yesterday in Metn and in Beirut to fill seats left vacant by the killing of two deputies. The narrow victory of the Aoun’s candidate in Metn has made the ex general’s campaign for the Presidency more difficult.
The elections in the two constituencies where to decide on replacements for Maronite minister Pierre Gemayel, killed November last and Walid Eido, a Sunni Muslim killed in a terrorist attack in June. Both were part of a government coalition against Syrian interference in Lebanese affairs.
The most important vote was that of Metn, a majority Christian region north east of Beirut, where Pierre’s father Amin Gemayel, challenged the ex president of the Republic Kamil Khoury, supported by the Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun.
Aoun, once head of government in 88-89 and vocal critic of Syria, has frequently expressed his desire to candidate himself for Lebanese President, to the point of allying himself with Hezbollah and Shiites and even receiving consensus from Damascus. He claims to have the support of the entire Christian community, in particular Maronites, a crucial element for Presidential appointments.
Yesterday’s victory of his candidate strengthens the opposition in parliament by one seat, but reduces the former general’s claims to be able to count on the support of over “70% of Christians”. In fact yesterday’s results show that Kamil Khoury won by 39,534 votes to Gemayel’s 39,116.
Numerous analysts see yesterday’s face-off between Gemayel and Aoun as a symbol of the internal struggle within the Christian camp for the Presidency, against which the Synod of Maronite bishops has frequently warned.
The Beirut elections had no such problems: the pro-government candidate Mohammad Amin Itani won by 85%.
In both votes, participation was low: 46% in Metn; 19% in Beirut. Premier Sinora has however commented positively on the outcome of the elections, which were largely peaceful: “Lebanese democracy – he said – will defeat terrorism”. Lebanon, together with Israel and present day Iraq, is one of the few democratic countries in the Middle East.
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