A controversy pits Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's Amal Movement against the Lebanese Forces over upcoming municipal elections, which the Amal-Hezbollah duo wishes to postpone, much to the LF’s dismay.
In a statement issued by their information department on Wednesday, the Lebanese Forces strongly reacted to remarks made the day before by Berri against their leader, Samir Geagea, whom he practically accused of working to partition Lebanon, simply because he advocated for holding the municipal elections and proposed that the election be held in South Lebanon once a ceasefire is established.
Berri stated in an interview given on Tuesday to Al-Jadeed channel, "Geagea must understand that I have no intention of separating South Lebanon from the rest of Lebanon," before accusing him of seeking to establish a federal system in Lebanon.
For the LF, Nabih Berri "is only throwing dust in the eyes." "Who wants to tear South Lebanon away from the rest of Lebanon? Where did you read that?" asked the LF, which recalled that "in 1998, municipal elections were held for the first time after the war throughout Lebanon, except in the southern part of the country, which was under Israeli occupation." "Elections were later held in that region in September 2001. Does this mean that there was at the time a decision to tear the south away from the rest of the country? Who was in power at the time? The head of the LF was in prison. Also, the remarks attributed (to Samir Geagea) are nothing but a smokescreen," according to the statement.
The LF also cited the example of Israeli municipal elections, "which were held on February 27 despite the war, except in the border areas of Lebanon and Gaza." "This is the logic applied by states and not that of obstruction," continued the statement, which thus referred to the obstruction of the presidential election by the Hezbollah-Amal duopoly.
The LF also rejected Berri's accusations that Samir Geagea seeks to establish a federal system in Lebanon. "Until further notice, freedom of expression is preserved in Lebanon. As for questions related to federalism or the development of the Lebanese system, they should be discussed among all Lebanese, as Geagea has often repeated," emphasized the party's information department.
A response that apparently displeased the Amal movement and the Speaker of the House, given the speed with which MP Ali Hassan Khalil, Berri's right-hand man, reacted to the LF's statement.
The latter also estimated, in a statement, that the Lebanese Forces' response "only confirms the true intentions of Samir Geagea, who seeks to separate the south from the rest of Lebanon, considering that it is still under Israeli occupation. It also confirm his attachment to federalism."
In these attacks against the LF leader, the underlying problem was obscured, namely the call to hold the municipal elections due to the negative effects of the vacuum at the local level in a country in crisis.
MP Waddah Sadek (independent) contextualized the problem by criticizing Nabih Berri's counter-attack, which was intended to pave the way for a postponement of the elections scheduled for May. "The Speaker of the House has no right, through one speech, to suppress the voices of 127 MPs and to override the Constitution and laws," he protested in a comment on his X account.
He also referred to the municipal council and mayor elections of 1998, recalling that Berri "did not oppose their holding throughout the country at the time, except in the south." And he added, emphasizing the importance of effective local authorities, "When Parliament decided, twice, to postpone the municipal elections over the past two years, the south was not under Israeli attacks, but a victim of poverty caused by the ruling class."
In a statement issued by their information department on Wednesday, the Lebanese Forces strongly reacted to remarks made the day before by Berri against their leader, Samir Geagea, whom he practically accused of working to partition Lebanon, simply because he advocated for holding the municipal elections and proposed that the election be held in South Lebanon once a ceasefire is established.
Berri stated in an interview given on Tuesday to Al-Jadeed channel, "Geagea must understand that I have no intention of separating South Lebanon from the rest of Lebanon," before accusing him of seeking to establish a federal system in Lebanon.
For the LF, Nabih Berri "is only throwing dust in the eyes." "Who wants to tear South Lebanon away from the rest of Lebanon? Where did you read that?" asked the LF, which recalled that "in 1998, municipal elections were held for the first time after the war throughout Lebanon, except in the southern part of the country, which was under Israeli occupation." "Elections were later held in that region in September 2001. Does this mean that there was at the time a decision to tear the south away from the rest of the country? Who was in power at the time? The head of the LF was in prison. Also, the remarks attributed (to Samir Geagea) are nothing but a smokescreen," according to the statement.
The LF also cited the example of Israeli municipal elections, "which were held on February 27 despite the war, except in the border areas of Lebanon and Gaza." "This is the logic applied by states and not that of obstruction," continued the statement, which thus referred to the obstruction of the presidential election by the Hezbollah-Amal duopoly.
The LF also rejected Berri's accusations that Samir Geagea seeks to establish a federal system in Lebanon. "Until further notice, freedom of expression is preserved in Lebanon. As for questions related to federalism or the development of the Lebanese system, they should be discussed among all Lebanese, as Geagea has often repeated," emphasized the party's information department.
A response that apparently displeased the Amal movement and the Speaker of the House, given the speed with which MP Ali Hassan Khalil, Berri's right-hand man, reacted to the LF's statement.
The latter also estimated, in a statement, that the Lebanese Forces' response "only confirms the true intentions of Samir Geagea, who seeks to separate the south from the rest of Lebanon, considering that it is still under Israeli occupation. It also confirm his attachment to federalism."
In these attacks against the LF leader, the underlying problem was obscured, namely the call to hold the municipal elections due to the negative effects of the vacuum at the local level in a country in crisis.
MP Waddah Sadek (independent) contextualized the problem by criticizing Nabih Berri's counter-attack, which was intended to pave the way for a postponement of the elections scheduled for May. "The Speaker of the House has no right, through one speech, to suppress the voices of 127 MPs and to override the Constitution and laws," he protested in a comment on his X account.
He also referred to the municipal council and mayor elections of 1998, recalling that Berri "did not oppose their holding throughout the country at the time, except in the south." And he added, emphasizing the importance of effective local authorities, "When Parliament decided, twice, to postpone the municipal elections over the past two years, the south was not under Israeli attacks, but a victim of poverty caused by the ruling class."
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