Electoral Lists Announced in Chouf-Aley, Zahle and Sidon-Jezzine

The Free Patriotic Movement and Minister of the Displaced Talal Arslan finalized an electoral agreement for the Chouf-Aley district on Friday evening, the National News Agency said.

Under the agreement the alliance will comprise Arslan (Druze, Aley), Energy Minister Cesar Abi Khalil of the FPM (Maronite, Aley), Imad al-Hajj (Maronite, Aley) and Elie Hanna (Greek Orthodox, Aley).

As for Chouf, Environment Minister Tarek al-Khatib of the FPM and Ali al-Hajj will run for the Sunni seats, Mario Aoun, Farid al-Bustani and Samir Aoun will run for the Maronite seats, Ghassan Atallah for the Greek Catholic seat while Marwan Halawi and Mazen Abu Dargham will contest the Druze seats.

Earlier in the day, the engineer Michel Skaff had announced the Zahle for Everyone list. The list comprises the FPM, al-Mustaqbal Movement and independent candidates.

Skaff and Michel Daher will run for the Greek Catholic seats, Salim Aoun for the Maronite seat, MP Assem Araji for the Sunni seat, Asaad Nakad for the Greek Orthodox seat, Nizar Dalloul for the Shiite seat and Marie-Jean Bilezikjian for the Armenian seat.

“Our project is principled, nondebatable and nonnegotiable: preserving Lebanon's sovereignty, freedom and independence and backing the state and its constitutional institutions,” Skaff said.

An electoral alliance was meanwhile announced in the Sidon-Jezzine district bringing together the FPM, the Jamaa Islamiya and Dr. Abdul Rahman al-Bizri.

The list comprises al-Bizri and Bassam Hammoud for Sidon's Sunni seats, the MPs Ziad al-Aswad and Amal Abu Zeid for Jezzine's Maronite seats and Salim Khoury for Jezzine's Greek Catholic seat.

The tripartite alliance is the product of several weeks of negotiations.

MTV meanwhile reported that the Lebanese Forces and the Kataeb Party have decided to form an alliance list in the Sidon-Jezzine district.

The list, which will be officially announced within hours, comprises Samir al-Bizri for Sidon and Ajjaj Haddad (LF) and Joseph Nohra (Kataeb) for Jezzine, MTV said.