March 14 Activists Slam Sectarian Incitement, Warn against 'Replacing Democracy by Iran Hegemony'

The March 14 Moustamerroun group of activists on Wednesday accused some of the ruling parties of “stoking sectarian sentiments” in order to “deviate the attention of the Lebanese from the corruption scandals that have exposed the true nature of the ruling class.”

These scandals “will push the Lebanese to hold it accountable in the upcoming parliamentary elections, as evidenced by the results of the latest municipal and syndical polls,” March 14 Moustamerroun said in a statement issued after its weekly meeting at the Bristol Hotel.

Turning to the electoral law, the group noted that “the draft laws that the ruling class parties are seeking to pass do not only encroach on the right of a certain sect to correct representation, but also usurp the right of all segments of the Lebanese people to choose their real representatives.”

It pointed out that some parties want to “create Christian, Sunni and Druze duos that emulate the Shiite duo.”

“What the Lebanese want is a true democracy and that can only be achieved through comprehensive pluralism across Lebanon and inside all sects,” the March 14 activists added.

As for the proposed extension of parliament's term, the group said “real rejection of extension is not only about preventing the incumbent MPs from staying in their posts after June 21, 2017, but also about preventing the extension of all the policies that have been in place for several years now.”

These policies “are based on replacing the constitution by settlements, the law by deals, legitimate institutions by illegitimate arms, and democracy by the balance of power that Iran is imposing on Lebanon through Hizbullah's weapons,” March 14 Moustamerroun said.

“The problem that the Lebanese are suffering from is not only the extension of MPs' terms but also the extension of the mentalities of repression... that were born under Syrian occupation and are still being replicated at the hands of Hizbullah and those who are silent over its arms or are colluding with it,” the group went on to say.