Beirut (AsiaNews) Under the current electoral law, the outcome was already decided. "There was no chance to talk about common slates or change the flawed law," former Prime Minister Michel Aoun said in an interview with AsiaNews. "Politically, people have lost interest and trust in the current situation because the law offers no hope for change," he said.
Even though the real figures suggest a need to re-evaluate such views, this is how General Aoun explains Beirut's low turnout.
Since existing electoral rules in the Mount Lebanon area are not the same, the General is planning to take part in the campaign there because participation is a real possibility.
"Given how democracy works in the country, the turnout in Beirut was still high," Aoun said. "I think that the real turnout was that in Christian East Beirut. In Muslim West Beirut, emotions pushed people to go to the polls".
Generally, however, "there was no change in terms of either personnel or style. Why should voters give them any legitimacy? Theirs is the kind of politics that has governed the country for 15 years and allowed corruption to grow and spread in public institutions." Even Saad Hariri's party "was defeated in the end, despite the emotional wave caused by the assassination of [his father], former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri ».
"When all is said and done, given how party slates are formed and with the current law still in place, it makes little sense to participate," general Aoun stressed.
Still there is a silver lining, namely the success of Najah Wakim, a Greek-Orthodox candidate, who "got 14,500 votes against his rival Atef Majdalani, elected by 26,000 votes and an electoral machine that gave out petrodollars".
