Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Joumblatt. (Credit: File photo Joseph Barrak/AFP/Getty Images)
BEIRUT — A number of political figures weighed in on Lebanon’s upcoming elections over the weekend.
Here’s what we know:
• Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai, speaking on Sunday, called for the government to “stabilize” the security situation in Lebanon so that the legislative elections in two weeks and presidential election in six months can take place on time without disruptions.
• Last week demonstrators in Tripoli clashed with the Army, which they accused of having hit a migrant boat and causing it to sink off the coast, resulting in six confirmed deaths (dozens of people remain missing at sea). A rocket was launched from Lebanon towards Israeli-occupied Palestine and the Israeli military launched retaliatory strikes. No casualties were reported on either side.
• Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri also touched on the elections on Sunday, calling it “the most important in the history of Lebanon” and urging high turnout. Urging members of the diaspora to vote for Amal’s electoral lists, he called on them to “vote for national constants, not for electoral promises,” adding, “Let your vote be for the independence of the judiciary and its reform” in addition to strong relations with Arab neighbors and a civil state.
• The leader of the Progressive Socialist Party Walid Jumblatt attacked President Michel Aoun on Saturday in an interview with a Kuwaiti newspaper, accusing him of being an "instrument in the hands of the Syrians and Iranians." He also added that the electoral battle is “not equitable” given Hezbollah’s arms and strong influence in the country.