March 8 Camp to Confront Mustaqbal, LF in Elections

The March 8 forces have decided to form a unified electoral alliance to confront the lists of al-Mustaqbal Movement and the Lebanese Forces in the upcoming parliamentary elections, a media report published Wednesday said.

“The March 8 lists will seek local alliances with the Free Patriotic Movement where there is a mutual interest for both parties. They will however confront the lists of Mustaqbal and the LF,” pro-March 8 newspaper al-Akhbar reported.

The daily revealed that over the past few days, Hizbullah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem had met with Syrian Social Nationalist Party leader Hanna al-Nashef, ex-minister Wiam Wahhab and the majority of Hizbullah's Sunni allies such as ex-minister Abdul Rahim Mrad, ex-MPs Jihad al-Samad, Osama Saad and Adnan al-Traboulsi, the head of the Northern National Center Kamal al-Kheir and the journalist Salem Zahran.

“Qassem will continue his meetings in the coming days,” al-Akhbar added.

Prominent March 8 sources meanwhile told the daily that there is a possibility for an alliance with Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat in several districts.

“Nothing prevents allying in certain districts, and the possibility hinges on Jumblat's ability to break his alliance with Hariri,” the sources said.

According to the newspaper, the March 8 forces have decided to back Abdul Rahim Mrad's list in Western Bekaa, whereas Jumblat has decided to ally there with Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

Also according to al-Akhbar, the March 8 forces will form a Beirut list comprising al-Ahbash's candidate Adnan al-Traboulsi and SSNP's candidate Fares Saad and “will not field a Druze candidate in the face of Jumblat's candidate.”

Elsewhere, the March 8 forces are seeking a broad alliance in the Chouf-Aley district that gathers Wahhab, Lebanese Democratic Party leader MP Talal Arslan, the SSNP and pro-March 8 Sunni candidates. It will also seek to ally with the FPM.