Hibr reporters speak to voters in South Lebanon

By Sarah Hilal

On Sunday 23 May, the day of the municipal elections in South Lebanon, Hibr reporters Madonna Khafaja and Hussein Wehbe headed to Saida and the neighboring towns and villages to observe the process of the elections. They conducted a number of interviews with political party representatives to find out what the atmosphere was like on the day of the elections.

In Saida, supporters of the ‘Irada Sha’biya’ ('Popular Will') electoral list, which is backed by the Popular Nasserite Movement leader Osama Saad, said that everything was going smoothly. An old man told Hibr that he believed that the elections were going “perfectly”. When he was asked who would win, he said that only the "ballot box" knows. On the other hand, the official election observers chose not to comment, saying that it was preferable to wait for an official statement by the government.

Nevertheless, an old man expressed his anger about the process of the elections. He said that he thought that there were many violations taking place, such as people voting more than once.

A female supporter of the ‘Popular Will’ electoral list refused to talk because she wasn't happy at all with what was going on. She preferred to remain silent. Instead, she called over an election official who stated that there were many people whose votes were being bought for $200 or $300.

A campaigner for the ‘Al Wifak lil Inma’’ ('Loyalty and Development') electoral list in Saida, which is backed by the Future Movement, also said that the atmosphere was calm. He said that even though there was tension in Saida, they had been able to keep the polling stations safe, and the voter turnout was 35% for women and higher for men.

In Lebaa, a village near Jezzine, no incidents were reported. The only issue reported was that some families had been split, with some family members voting for the ‘Lebaa Ahla’ (‘Lebaa is more beautiful’) electoral list and other members voting for the rival ‘Lebaa Al-Ghad’ (‘Lebaa Tomorrow’) list.

In Sfaray, also near Jezzine, the opponents were not concerned about being challenged. They were handling the elections in a team spirit. However, they insisted that the current mayor be replaced because they believed that he was working to fulfill personal goals rather than focusing on Sfaray.

In the village of Roum, Hibr asked some young men who they had voted for and they did not know right away. They asked each other and finally they came up with the name of the list they had chosen, ‘Roum lal Kil’, or ‘Roum for Everyone’. They made it clear that they had voted for a non-political electoral list. Otherwise, they said they wouldn't have voted.

Youth in Roum, South Lebanon