Hezbollah's number two, Sheikh Naim Qassem. (Credit: Hezbollah Press Office)
BEIRUT – While doubts about a postponement or cancellation of the upcoming parliamentary elections by political forces have been frequent in recent weeks, Hezbollah's second-in-command, Sheikh Naim Qassem, said on Wednesday that his party is "one of the most enthusiastic” about the May 15 polls.
Here’s what we know:
• During a speech to his supporters in the Zokak el-Blatt district in Beirut, Naim Qassem declared that “Hezbollah is one of the most enthusiastic for the holding of elections so that the people can express themselves and make their choice.”
• Qassem urged people to “stand by [Hezbollah’s] side” as he expressed his confidence in people’s votes for his party’s MPs “because we are part of them and we [work] for them.”
• Speaking directly to the supporters of Hezbollah, Qassem encouraged them to go out and vote. “Our political opponents know that you won't change your tune, and you won't give them a single vote. That's why they tell you not to vote, because they hope for a drop in the electoral mass to be able to win a few seats,” he said.
• The sheikh also expressed his disdain for Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s visit to Bahrain. “This is a betrayal on the part of the Bahraini authorities,” he said. “If they believe that Israel will bring them anything, they are wrong.”
• These remarks came after the Bahraini political opposition held events on Monday and Tuesday in Beirut. Interior Minister Bassam Maoulaoui warned several times against holding these events, initiated by the Shiite Bahraini opposition group al-Wifaq.