The Emirati businessman Khalaf al-Habtoor. Photo taken from social media.
Emirati businessman Khalaf al-Habtoor, known for his significant investments in Lebanon, criticized on Saturday on his Facebook page the alliances of many parties on the same list in the Beirut municipal elections, which are taking place on Sunday.
"What is happening in the Beirut municipal elections is incomprehensible, unless it is considered political deceit and humiliation for the conscience and memory of the population," he wrote. He added: "How could parties that rightly raise slogans of sovereignty and freedom, rejecting illegal arms, ally with those they accuse of having hindered the Constitution and being outside the institutional logic?"
In Beirut, parties known as sovereignists, such as the Lebanese Forces and the Kataeb, are allied with Hezbollah and Amal, as well as with parties like the Progressive Socialist Party and the Tashnag, on the same list named "Beirut unites us." The pretext for such alliances is the protection of parity between Christians and Muslims in the capital's municipal council.
"Are positions more important than principles? Should all currencies be sold for a municipal seat," criticized Habtoor, who has been threatening for some time to end his investments in Lebanon. For him, "it is disheartening that a country as beautiful, loved by the whole world, cradle of history, culture, art, generosity, and beauty, is governed with a mentality of dubious markets, which consider the interests of leaders and not the concerns of the population."
"I call on the Lebanese population to free themselves from the logic of blind trust and to hold accountable those who lied to them and sold them," he added, specifying that he is speaking about all Lebanese "leaders" without exception.
On Saturday, Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar oversaw the distribution of ballot boxes from the central operations chamber at the Ministry of Interior. The Ministry of Interior also launched a "chatbot" to answer questions about the elections 24 hours a day, whether it's information about polling centers, voting steps, or candidacy conditions. On its X account, the ministry specifies that it is possible to consult this election "chatbot" at the following link: https://chatbot.moim.gov.lb.