The Daily Star, Lebanon
Aug 6 2007
Aoun declares victory of FPM candidate in Metn, Gemayel disputes
results
By Hani M. Bathish
Daily Star staff
Monday, August 06, 2007
METN/BEIRUT: Fifteen minutes after Free Patriotic Movement leader MP
Michel Aoun announced the FPM’s victory in the Metn by-election,
former President Amin Gemayel, disputing Aoun’s claims, declared that
the Christians in the Metn had voted for the March 14 track. "We were
told that the winning candidate is Dr. Camille Khoury," Aoun said.
"We hope that calm prevails, this electoral battle is not against a
martyr, but it is to choose a political track."
While in Bikfaya celebrations commenced for what Gemayel supporters
considered a victory, Aoun called on his supporters and MPs to gather
at the Jdeideh Serail where he said there was an attempt to tamper
with one of the ballot boxes.
"We have been informed of an attempt to cancel one of the ballot
boxes. We hope the old mistakes committed in Metn are not repeated,"
Aoun said.
Gemayel said an attempt at forging election results by the Armenian
Tashnag Party had been detected, adding that "the dead and those
residing abroad" had voted in Bourj Hammoud.
"We want elections to be repeated in Bourj Hammoud district," Gemayel
said, "those who announce victory should wait for the official
results and the judiciary to have its say first."
Gemayel said complaints arrived from various polling stations that
irregularities had been spotted "We have won, we insist that there be
self control in the Metn," Gemayel said.
The number of the disputed votes from Bourj Hammoud varies between
600 and 160. Supporters from both political parties flocked to
Jdeideh late Sunday night, gathering in the main square while the
army stood between them to prevent clashes from developing. The mood
was aggressive as supporters of both factions raised party flags and
honked their horns, closing access to the square.
Preliminary results started coming in the early evening, with the
first 114 ballot boxes out of 348 counted giving a slim lead to
Gemayel, who got 13,079 votes, while his opponent got 12,240 votes.
That lead widened slightly to 2,918 votes in favor of Gemayel after
the counting of 265 ballot boxes. With 275 boxes counted, the lead
went down to 2,180 votes.
The high voter turnout in the Metn by-election on Sunday and the
democratic mood that prevailed proved that security concerns had
taken a back seat at this pivotal juncture. In some polling stations,
voter turnout reached 80 percent.
Mustapha Sabsabi, in charge of one of the polling stations in Zalka,
said that around 500 out of 700 voters had cast their ballots at the
station by mid-day. "We had a very good turnout, we were busy all
day, we had no rest," Sabsabi said.
In Bteghrine, hometown of FPM candidate’s supporter MP Michel Murr,
the turnout was close to 50 percent around noon according to local
Mukhtar Najem Saliba, who was at the Bteghrine secondary school
helping people get to the right room to cast their ballots. "It was a
peaceful and democratic day so far we hope it stays that way till the
end of the day," Saliba said.
In Jdeideh, even Sunni, Shiite and Allawite voters turned out in
substantial numbers, around 40 percent had cast their ballots by
mid-day. "The day was very calm, a democratic and cooperative mood
prevailed," said Pedro Qnaider, in charge of one of the polling
stations in Jdeideh.
In Bikfaya, Gemayel’s hometown, voting started early and the former
president got a majority of votes. The Phalange Party campaign
machinery worked through the previous night. By the morning the town
was decked with Phalange Party flags, banners and pictures of Gemayel
and his slain son. White roses were distributed to voters by Phalange
Party supporters.
"This is the sign of peace," said Elie Daou, who cast his vote in
favor of Gemayel.
"This is a day of referendum, a day to choose between two directions,
one of sovereignty and freedom and the other of subservience," Daou
said.
Another voter who did not want his name published said: "I always
vote for the Gemayel family, let Qanso and the others go and vote in
the Bekaa," a reference to the Syrian Social Nationalist Party
leader.
Gemayel was accompanied by his wife Joyce and Patricia Gemayel, the
widow of his son, assassinated Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel.
"On this day we have to remember the martyr Pierre Gemayel and all
the country’s martyrs, those of the army and of the Cedar Revolution
and all who fell for Lebanon, for freedom and sovereignty," Gemayel
told reporters after casting his own vote.
Amin Gemayel said the electoral competition Sunday was a pivotal one,
adding that the battle was aimed against political parties following
the Syrian line, naming among these Hizbullah and the Syrian Social
Nationalist Party. "Are all these political parties that support the
Free Patriotic Movement doing so free of charge, just to please
General Aoun? Or do they have other motives and are there other
allies trying to regain the Syrian role on Lebanese soil?" Gemayel
asked.
However, Aoun asked the people of Metn Sunday to follow him "toward
the future of Lebanon." He reaffirmed that the alliance between the
FPM, the Tashnag Party and Murr is a "firm alliance that is unshaken
by rumor."
Speaking on Sunday to OTV, Aoun blamed Phalange Party founder the
late President Pierre Gemayel for allowing the Syrians into Lebanon.
"We will celebrate our victory at the close of the polls, the victory
of the national interest over foreign interests because the history
of Amin Gemayel is known, it is filled with instances of
collaboration with the foreigner against his country," Aoun said.
Aoun supporters moved in convoys around the Metn and had a strong
turnout outside polling stations, wearing orange and chanting FPM
slogans. Turnout was especially high in Bourj Hammoud and Zalka. In
one polling station in Bourj Hammoud 207 registered voters out of 440
had cast their ballots by noon.
Murr, speaking to reporters after casting his ballot in his hometown
of Bteghrine, said his supporters’ votes all went to the FPM
candidate "without hesitation and out of conviction." The Aoun and
Murr campaign delegates were out in force in Bteghrine.
In Qornet al-Hamra, the hometown of Khoury, the orange FPM flags
dominated, although at times orange and Phalange flags rested side by
side, sharing limited space on electricity poles. Khoury cast his
ballot early Sunday morning at the Rosary School in Qornet al-Hamra
amid chants of support for Aoun and the FPM.
Khoury received one of the white roses that were being distributed by
Phalange Party supporters outside the polling station. Khoury told
reporters afterward that the electoral battle was not personally
aimed against Gemayel but against the political track of March 14.
Sabaa says voting ‘calm and democratic’
BEIRUT: Interior Minister Hassan Sabaa said the Beirut and Metn
by-elections had taken place in a "calm and democratic atmosphere,"
in an official statement released by his office at the end of voting
on Sunday.
Sabaa said there had been a large voter turnout, and the "fact that
the opposition supporters voted in such large numbers provides the
biggest evidence for the legitimacy of the government of Prime
Minister Fouad Siniora."
"The Interior Ministry and municipalities proved their impartiality
by keeping equal distance from all candidates," said the statement
faxed to The Daily Star.
Sabaa said any problems that may have occurred during the poll were
"immediately" resolved and taken care of by the army and the police
deployed throughout the Metn and Beirut’s second district.
Sabaa said he would hold a news conference to announce the official
results, either late Sunday or early Monday, when all votes had been
tallied. – The Daily Star