PROSPECTS OF FPM WIN IN METN ELECTIONS RISING
Mohamad Shmaysani

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16/03/2009

The Metn precinct has illustrated the shaky alliance of the March
14 political magnates. Minister Nassib Lahoud expressed resentlment
Sunday at excluding him from electoral preparations undertaken by MP
Michel Murr and his Phalange Party allies.

"The Metn battle is political and we will not accept emptying it
of its political content," Lahoud said. "The development of his
(Murr) position led to rapprochement. However, this does not mean
that we authorized MP Murr to form alliances in Metn. His vision
of the electoral battle in the precinct is different from ours," he
added. "We do not favor importing candidates from outside the Metn to
conduct this battle…I only participate in an electoral list which
I have a role in forming. I will not join any list that I did not
contribute in forming," the minister stressed.

There are eight seats in the Metn precinct: four seats for Maronite,
two seats for Orthodox, one seat for Catholics and one seat for
Armenian Orthodox.

Metn, historically, represents the "weight" of Christians in Lebanon.

It will have to decide between a divided March 14 representation or
the opposition. The Free Patriotic Movement will run the elections
in Metn with a complete list of opposition candidates, making it=2
0harder for its opponents in March 14 and others, namely "centrist
independents", to break or penetrate it. The great majority of the
precinct has pledged allegiance to MP Michel Aoun and his FPM.

Murr’s efforts have not yet bore fruit yet, as he seeks to form a
list of independents to form an alliance with the Phalange Party of
former President Amine Gemayel exclusively. Murr want to keep the
Armenian seat vacant to secure the votes of the Tashnag party. The
Armenian party however, promised Murr to vote solely for him, but
not for the entire list as Tashnag is allied to Aoun’s FPM.

The dilemma that is facing MP Murr is that the Phalange Party insists
that the list of candidate be complete, including an Armenian.

According to sources, the MP will go to plan B to face Gemayel’s
insistence and announce two lists each comprising four candidates.

However, well informed sources told Al-Manar that the Tashnag Party has
rejected Murr’s plan B and described it as an indirect alliance with
the camp that insists on having an Armenian candidate to contend the
Tashnag candidate. So far, Murr’s status in the upcoming elections is
not stable and the same goes for his allies. They will need a miracle
to succeed in competing Aoun’s list, especially that there are too
many candidates for a limited number of seats in Metn.

For instance the four Maronite seats are contended by Sami Gemayel
(Amine Gemayel’s son), Nasib Lahoud (Murr’s traditional opponent),
Sarkis Sarkis, Pierre Ashkar, Edie Abil Lamaa and Wadie Hajj.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress