Hezbollah's No. 2 Naim Qassem. (Credit: Hezbollah Press Office)
BEIRUT — Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem on Thursday launched the party’s electoral campaign in four constituencies during a speech in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Echoing remarks made Wednesday by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Qassem insisted “the [parliamentary] elections will be held on May 15.”
Here’s what we know:
• Hezbollah’s No. 2 also assured that the party reaches out “its hands to all forces because there are political requests that it would be useful to make” without giving more details about its alliances. Qassem added that he had “trained many electoral machines in all constituencies” even in those where Hezbollah had no candidates.
• These statements followed Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah's announement of the party’s candidates on Wednesday.
• “Today we are launching the electoral machine in four constituencies: Beirut I, Beirut II, and Mount Lebanon III and IV,” said Qassem, adding that Hezbollah wants to focus on the constituencies of Beirut II and Mount Lebanon III in which the party “has an active presence.” Qassem restated Nasrallah’s announcement from Wednesday, saying that Ali Ammar would run for one of the Shiite seats in Mount Lebanon III and Amin Shari for one of the Shiite seats in Beirut II.
• On Wednesday, the Hezbollah chief had also announced the candidacies of Rami Abu Hamdan in the Bekaa I constituency Zahle; Hussein Hajj Hassan, Ali al-Miqdad, Ibrahim al-Moussawi and Ihab Hamadeh in the Bekaa III constituency Baalbeck-Hermel; and Raed Berro, Hassan Ezz El-Din and Hassan Jechi in South Lebanon II constituency Sour-Zahrani. He added that the South Lebanon III candidates are Mohammad Raad in Nabatieh, Hassan Fadlallah in Bint Jbeil and Ali Fayad in Marjayoun-Hasbaya.