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BEIRUT:
Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun
discounted Saad Hariri's absolute victory of
all of Beirut's parliamentary seats, claiming
citizens in the capital were "driven" during
the elections. Speaking to reporters at his
home in Rabieh, east of Beirut, the former
army commander recently returned from 15 years
of exile in France said the polls in Beirut
were affected with the power of "petro-dollar,"
in reference to large amounts of money spent
on Hariri's election campaign.
He added a low Christian turnout at the polls
in Beirut's Christian-dominated areas proved
citizens were repelled by the electoral law of
2000.
He said: "Elections in
Beirut
and the percentage of boycott proves that the
people enjoy a high level of awareness."
But Aoun, who has recently drifted from the
country's other opposition parties, is
expected to put up a fight against Druze
leader Walid Jumblatt and Hariri in the
Baabda-Aley district of Mount Lebanon.
He further said the higher Muslim percentage
of voters in the Sunni-dominated areas of
Beirut
was nothing but sentimental sympathy over
former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's
assassination.
He said: "In
West Beirut
there is a sentimental state of affairs. If
the martyr was still alive things would have
been more realistic and objective and people
would have participated more in the ballot."
Aoun, whose supporters toured the streets of
Beirut urging people to boycott elections in
the capital Sunday, once more accused the
opposition of benefiting from Hariri's death.
He said: "The problem today is that everybody
is pretending they are martyrs themselves.
There was no balance in Beirut's ballots."
Aoun had met with Druze MP Talal Arslan, and
the two men were said to have finalized their
alliance in the Baabda-Aley district. But
Arslan left the meeting without commenting.
Asked about a possible alliance with Deputy
Speaker Michel Murr - a staunch Syrian ally -
in the Metn district of Mount Lebanon, Aoun,
who has yet to announce his final lists, said
he would not ally himself with Murr.
He said: "I have never allied myself with
anyone without publicly announcing it. All I
said was thank you if he wanted to give us
votes, but we cannot do the same with him."
Murr, who announced his list in Metn last
Friday, had said there was a possibility for
an electoral alliance with Aoun.
But sources in the FPM are saying Aoun is
expected to support Qornet Shehwan member
Gabriel Murr in Metn.
Aoun also discussed his alliances in South
Lebanon, saying he was boycotting the
elections in Jezzine.
He said: "In Jezzine, we don't have any
candidates because we are supporting the
people of Jezzine in boycotting the ballots
because of the unfair electoral law they are
suffering from."
Jezzine, which enjoys a Christian majority, is
expected to largely boycott the elections
But he added the FPM had a candidate in the
South's first district, which encompasses the
areas of Sidon, Zahrani, Tyre and Bint Jbeil.
He said: "We have General Fawzi Abu Farhat,
and he is running with Riad Asaad."
By Majdoline Hatoum
Daily Star staff
Tuesday, May 31, 2005 |
