Rifi Calls for International Election Observation

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Former justice minister Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi accused the “State authorities of meddling” in the parliamentary elections in order to “secure victory,” as he called for international observers to monitor the May 6 elections, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Friday.

“We have already warned against the authority's interference and influence in the elections. Today we have become certain that they are using legal and illegal means to ensure their victory,” the daily quoted Rifi as saying.

Rifi accused the authority of exerting pressure on candidates to prevent them from forming electoral lists.

He said: “They are using the ministries, administrations, governors and some security apparatuses to pressure us and to pressure other candidates to forestall us from forming lists.”

He called for “international election monitoring, because the authority is biased and not qualified to conduct the electoral process.”

The parliamentary elections will be held under a complex proportional representation system on May 6.

The new electoral law, approved last year after years of political wrangling, is based on a proportional representation system and 15 electoral districts. It replaces the winner-takes-all system that had governed Lebanon's elections since 1943.

The deadline for registering lists expires on March 26.

SourceNaharnet
Comments 4
Thumb ex-fpm 23 March 2018, 10:37

Fair and necessary request

Thumb justin 23 March 2018, 12:20

الحواط: اجهزة الدولة تتدخل مباشرةً في انتخابات كسروان – جبيل
https://www.lebanese-forces.com/2018/03/23/ziad-hawat-40/

Thumb janoubi 23 March 2018, 12:33

The arrest of Sheikh Abbas al-Jawhari just before the weekend when Monday is the deadline for forming lists is a clear indication of the 'state' authorities meddling in the elections.

Missing cimitero 23 March 2018, 14:19

There already are international election observers in place. Iranians and Syrians monitoring the progress of their parties, the so called Hezb allah and Ba3th-SSNP respectively. Once the elections are done their elected candidates will, as usual, be observing, monitoring, nudging and pressuring from inside the Lebanese parliament and the Lebanese cabinet. We Lebanese should be proud, we have the only multinational local national Parliament and cabinet in the world.