The Daily Star, Lebanon
May 30 2005

Sunnis turn out in numbers to cast ballots
Second district sees high voter participation

By Nada Bakri and Raed El Rafei
Special to The Daily Star
Monday, May 30, 2005

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s parliamentary elections kicked off in Beirut with
varying participation from the capital’s second district voters, and
Sunni neighborhoods seeing the highest voter turnout. The second
district includes the Mosseitebeh area where more than 50 percent of
Sunni voters participated, along with around 40 percent of Shiites in
the Bashoura area.

In the Christian neighborhood of Rmeil, where the Tashnag Armenian
party and Free Patriotic Movement had urged voters to boycott the
elections, some stations witnessed voter turnout as low as 3 percent.

But Bahij Tabbara, Beirut MP and second district candidate, expressed
his satisfaction with the voting process as he toured his district’s
voting stations.

“Beirutis are loyal to martyr Premier Hariri and they are
participating out of love for him and his political ideologies,” he
said.

Tabbara also estimated that participation in the second district
would exceed 50 percent, but noted the low turnout in the Rmeil area.

He said: “Some political parties in Rmeil urged voters to boycott the
elections, claiming the candidates running do not represent them in
Parliament and that the electoral law was unfair, but those same
parties are campaigning elsewhere.”

He added: “Anyway, Parliament’s first mission should be to form a new
electoral law that truly reflects the aspirations of the Lebanese.”

Najah Wakim, head of the People’s Movement and a candidate for the
second district, said the voting process seemed “very promising,
democratic and mature.”

He said: “I have faith in

my supporters, am very positive about the results and

was impressed with the level

of participation.”

But added that “fraud had started long before the elections, through
the media and voter bribery.”

In one polling station in Bashoura, voters had to force their way
through hoards of supporters of various candidates in colorful
T-shirts distributing electoral lists.

Some of the lists were “mined,” with independent candidates
customizing existing lists to include their candidacy. Most notably,
many of Saad Hariri’s lists that included Amine Sherri had his name
replaced by independent candidate Ibrahim Shamseddine.

In Shiite and Sunni neighborhoods, many elderly and disabled voters
turned out. Some were accompanied by family members, but most were
escorted by campaign representatives.

Khayrieh Qobeissi, a physically disabled 55 year-old woman said she
voted for Hariri’s list hoping to be financially rewarded.

Maher Hassan, a disabled elderly woman who had to be transported on a
stretcher, said: “I believe Hariri’s list will bring a real change.”

Rana Safa, 29, said: “I hope the elected candidates will work to
build a better country,” and added that “she feels more confident
about the legitimacy of the elections with international observers
monitoring the process.”

But, many voters were not so enthusiastic about the elections.
Haitham Khayyat, 39, insisted that “what’s happening today is more of
a referendum rather than elections.”

Despite his reservations, Haitham said he was “committed to
participating in the democratic process of elections.”

Meanwhile, a team of more than 100 foreign observers led by the
European Union were monitoring the polls for the first time in
Lebanese history.