Beirut / Naim Berjawi / Anatolia
Lebanese President Michel Aoun confirmed on Sunday that parliamentary elections will be held on May 15, 2022, “unless something happens.”
Aoun’s words came after his meeting with Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi at the patriarchal edifice in the town of Bkerke, north of Beirut, during his participation in the Easter mass for the Christian denominations, according to the (official) National News Agency.
Aoun told reporters: “I assure the Lebanese and everyone that the parliamentary elections will take place and that all preparations are ready for that, unless something (unspecified) happens, God forbid.”
On April 11, the Secretary-General of the Lebanese “Hezbollah” group (Iran’s ally), Hassan Nasrallah, accused the US embassy of seeking to postpone the elections to “arrange the affairs of the other party.”
According to experts, the electoral alliances in Lebanon between the March 8 forces (the allies of Iran and the Syrian regime) have become more cohesive than the March 14 alliances (close to Riyadh and Washington).
Saad Hariri, the leader of the “Future Movement”, the most prominent Sunni component, announced last January the suspension of his political work.
At the time, Hariri considered that “there is no room for any positive opportunity for Lebanon in light of Iranian influence, international confusion, national division, sectarianism and the state’s wear and tear.”
On the economic issue, Aoun said, “Positive things happened today, including the agreement with the International Monetary Fund, the beginning of which may mark the beginning of Lebanon’s exit from the abyss under which it is languishing.”
On April 7, the Fund announced that it had reached a preliminary agreement with Beirut to finance $3 billion, to be spent over 4 years, according to a program aimed at rebuilding the economy and restoring financial sustainability.
For more than two years, the Lebanese have been experiencing an unprecedented severe economic crisis that has led to a record collapse in the value of the local currency (the lira) against the dollar, as well as a shortage of fuel and medicine, and a rise in poverty and unemployment rates.
Aoun also talked about “the return of the Arab countries to it (Lebanon) and its natural sovereignty as it was without making any effort.”
And last week, the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Yemen, respectively, returned to Lebanon, after an absence of more than 5 months, against the background of a diplomatic crisis between Beirut, Riyadh and other Gulf capitals.
Gulf capitals, including Riyadh, say that Iran controls the institutions of the Lebanese state, through its ally, the “Hezbollah” (Shiite) group, which Tehran and the group deny.
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