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BEIRUT:
President Emile Lahoud criticized the low
turnout of voters to the crucial polls on
Sunday, laying the blame squarely on the
"unfair electoral law" of 2000. After meeting
with the EU observation team monitoring the
elections, Lahoud said: "Yesterday's low
turnout proves our theory the present
electoral law does not meet the aspirations of
the Lebanese people, a thing that forced many
to stay away from the elections and abstain
from casting their votes."
Lahoud was one of the main orchestrators of
the controversial, pro-Syrian 2000 law and had
claimed - during the Syrian-influenced 2000
elections - that the law was the best
representation of the people.
But in a complete turn around in the months
prior to the polls, Lahoud has been vocal in
his rejection of the law, which he claims
"does not represent the aspirations of the
Lebanese people."
Lahoud said he hoped the coming Parliament
will work on issuing a new law rapidly,
adding: "Any new law should meet the
aspirations of all the people of Lebanon."
The official results of
Beirut's
parliamentary elections, announced by Interior
Minister Hassan Sabaa early Monday, have
confirmed that Saad Hariri and his list of
candidates have secured all 19 seats in the
capital.
But the very low turnout in the capital - less
than one third of the capital's 420,000
registered voters - reflected a malaise among
voters who were left with little choice at the
capital's polling stations.
But European Commissioner Benita
Ferrero-Waldner praised the Lebanese
government, for holding the first round of
elections on time.
Speaking Monday in
Luxembourg
to Euro-Mediterranean foreign ministers
participating in the 7th Euro-Med conference,
Ferrero-Waldner said the European Union
encouraged the principle of holding free and
honest elections in any country.
She said that the European mission for the
observation of the elections will play a major
and neutral role, which will enhance the
transparency of the electoral process and
people's confidence in it.
Ferrero-Waldner said she personally appointed
EU Chief Monitor Jose Ignacio Salafranca and
asked him to ensure that the monitoring
mission be neutral.
UN chief Kofi Annan also hailed the elections,
saying he hoped Sunday's "democratic conduct"
will help the country recover full
sovereignty.
Annan commended the Lebanese government for
the way it ran the elections.
He said: "These elections constitute a major
opportunity for the Lebanese people to shape
their own future, to strengthen their
political institutions and to restore their
full sovereignty."
Sunday's elections were the first to be held
after the end of nearly three decades of
Syrian occupation. Beirut was the first region
to head to the ballot box, while the remaining
three regions will see their own polls held
over the next three weekends.
By Nayla Assaf and Khalil
Fleihan
Daily Star staff
Tuesday, May 31, 2005 |
