- 11
- Apr.
- 2024
Order of Engineers Elections: Political Stakes and Financial Challenges
modified on 24 Apr. 2024 à 03:18 Read : 6 minute(s) A A A
On Sunday, April 14, the Order of Engineers in Beirut is set to elect a third of its council and its new president, who will succeed Aref Yassine. This year, and as per tradition, the position of president is reserved for a Christian. The principle of alternation, between Christians and Sunni Muslims, has been in effect since the foundation of the Order in 1951. However, Aref Yassine, elected in 2021, is of Shiite faith, a first in the history of the Order.
More than a dozen candidates are in the running, including:
- Pierre Geara, a former cadre of the National Liberal Party, now independent, but enjoying official support so far from the Future Movement and unofficially from the Lebanese Forces (LF) and the Kataeb party.
- Fadi Hanna, officially supported by the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and Hezbollah.
- Georges Ghanem, an independent candidate who appears to have the support of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP).
- Joseph Mechayleh, currently vice president of the Order's council declared independent, but part of the "The Union is Rising" movement stemming from the October 17, 2019 protest movement.
- Roy Dagher, supported by the left-wing civil society, the Communist Party, and some independent engineers.
- Nicolas Chikhani, an engineer and economist, supported by the right-wing civil society and a large number of independents. It should be noted that Chikhani's candidacy had been blocked by the decision of the Order's council (due to an issue with dues), but a court decision validated his candidacy.*
The battle seems to be heading towards what was once called the division between March 8 and March 14 camps, but it also risks being marked by a scattering of votes, unless last-minute alliances and withdrawals occur by Sunday. According to some sources, the withdrawal of certain candidates will largely depend on the support provided by the Amal movement to one or the other.
Election Procedures
The Order of Engineers in Beirut is divided into seven sections (civil, agronomist, mechanical, entrepreneurs, electrical, architect, public sector), which constitute the plenary assembly. One member of each specialty sits on the council in addition to eight others, including the president.
The first phase of the elections took place on March 10, focusing on the elections of civil and agronomist engineers. Five members from each section were elected, and one president of each section will be elected on April 14 from among these five, in addition to the election of the president and council members of the Order. The elections in the first phase were won by the FPM/Amal/Hezbollah alliance.
During this same first phase, nearly 250 engineers were elected to the assembly of delegates. According to a source on the Order's council interviewed by Ici Beyrouth, this assembly can be somewhat compared to the parliament, which oversees the council's actions. And the council, with the same metaphor, can in turn be compared to the government, in charge of the executive.
As for the elections on April 14, five members of the Order's council will need to be elected, according to the principle of one-third renewal (every year five new members are elected to the Order's council). This group will then elect a president of the Order for a three-year term.
The performance of the current president, Aref Yassine, from the protest movement, has been criticized by many engineers, even those from the October 17 movement, due to poor management and lack of teamwork. This dissatisfaction may have favored the return of traditional parties to the arena.
Nearly 3,000 engineers participated in the first phase of the elections, while sources from the Order expect nearly 10,000 to participate in Sunday's vote.
The president of the Order is elected for a three-year term, along with five other council members. Their role is crucial in the decisions made by the council. Although they cannot make unilateral decisions, they have a tie-breaking role in which their vote is decisive in a tie.
The president of the Order also sits on the urban planning board and the National Education Council. It is also important to note that any building permit in Lebanese territory must be validated by the Order (of Beirut or Tripoli).
A Financial Challenge
However, the most important issue or challenge of the election is related to the funds available for the Order and the issue of medical insurance.
The Order of Engineers has about 50,000 members (figures vary depending on the sources interviewed). Unlike a union or a professional association, membership in the Order is mandatory for professionals in the represented sections. They must register to practice their profession.
Contributions are therefore significant. According to sources who requested anonymity, the amount of funds available to the Order remains a mystery, but the crisis that has hit Lebanon since 2020 has extended to this professional body. Contributions have been collected in Lebanese pounds from the beginning of the crisis until the end of 2023, with all the uncertainties that the fluctuation of the national currency has caused in funding.
The elected president will also inherit the issue of the pension fund, which has caused disturbances, as retired engineers receive only one to two hundred US dollars per month, according to sources interviewed, as well as the issue of medical coverage.
Membership in the Order allows an engineer to insure family members, spouses, parents, parents of spouses, etc. Insured individuals are subject to preferential rates issued by the insurance company, which is required to cover subscribers, regardless of their pre-existing medical conditions.
Based on a rough calculation that each member of the Order is part of an average family of four, the number of people covered by the insurance is 200,000.
(*) The court's decision to allow Chikhani to run for election will also affect the number of voters. According to the internal regulations, an engineer who has not paid the full amount of their dues has neither the right to vote nor to run for election. However, at the end of 2023, the Order required the payment of dues in dollars, which created confusion, with nearly 8,000 members who did not pay the full set amount.
If the court's decision is enforced, the electoral lists will need to be amended before April 14.
As a reminder: elections will also be held on April 14 at the Order of Engineers in Tripoli.
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