18 December 2012
ZAHLE, Lebanon: Elections have not yet been called, and it is still unclear whether there will be voting at all, but in the crucial Bekaa Valley city of Zahle, campaign season is well under way.
Politicians from various parties have been visiting the city since June, seeking support in what Abbot Boulos Neeman, former head of the Lebanese Maronite Order, calls “the most important Christian city in the Middle East.”
In the 2009 elections, Zahle – both the district and the city – played a pivotal role in securing March 14’s parliamentary majority. This year, Catholic leader Elias Skaff’s split from the March 8 bloc may contribute to another March 14 win in the area.
There are 59,286 voters on the rolls from 2009’s parliamentary elections in the city of Zahle; the majority are Christian. Within the larger district, Christians also have the numerical upper hand, followed by Sunnis. An alliance that can appeal to these two groups is believed to be capable of delivering the constituency’s seats.
The importance of the city means that politicians have already begun politicking. In June, Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun visited the city; he was followed less than a month later by Kataeb Party head Amin Gemayel.
More recently, a Hezbollah delegation came to the Zahle, meeting with various local March 8 leaders. Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Ghazanfar Roknabadi, also spent time in the city, meeting with Greek Catholic Archbishop Issam Darwish, Labor Minister Salim Jraysati, Minister of State Nicholas Fattoush, and former MP Skaff, head of the Popular Bloc.
Skaff, who ran and lost alongside March 8 in 2009, paid a one-day visit to Saudi Arabia in mid-November. After his return from one of the Future Movement’s main backers, he confirmed he would be running in the upcoming polls as an independent on his own electoral list.
Two weeks later, the Hezbollah delegation arrived in Zahle. This, along with Abdi’s visit, was seen as an attempt to stop Skaff from parting ways with the March 8 coalition, but according to the former MP’s statements, it failed.
After meeting with Hezbollah, Skaff said his visit to Saudi Arabia had not altered his positions on issues, describing it as a personal visit. He confirmed to Hezbollah his intention to run as an independent.
In a statement last week, the Popular Bloc insisted that the former MP would not back away from his new independent stance, labeling it an “independent and final” decision “prompted by the will to achieve the interests of Zahle and its residents.”
“Skaff’s doors are not closed, except in the face of the people who want to dominate Zahle’s decision-making and exploit the largest Catholic city in the east to fulfill their narrow goals,” the statement added.
It boasted that the polls “will teach a lesson” to politicians “who confiscated Zahle’s decision-[making power] to serve their leaders and parties.”
Skaff comes from a powerful family that has held sway in the area for generations. As a Catholic leader who once had strong ties with March 8, he is now at odds with all other local Christian parties. His closeness to Hezbollah has made him no friends in the Kataeb and Lebanese Forces, and his move away from March 8 separates him from Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement.
In striking out as an independent, Skaff appears to be attempting to regain his family’s former power. Until polls are called and lists are drawn the success of this bid won’t be completely clear, but his move does seem to have pushed Zahle further toward March 14.
Copyright The Daily Star 2012.
