BEIRUT - As electoral lists start to be announced, some of the 917 registered candidates are racing to secure a place before Monday’s deadline in order to run in parliamentary elections on May 6. The deadline to be eligible for a partial refund when withdrawing candidacies was Wednesday night. A total of 58 candidates took their names out of the running. An additional candidate was eliminated for violating Article 8 of the electoral law, which covers conflicts of interest that bar candidates – this includes military personnel, members of the Constitutional Council and heads of municipalities, among others.

If candidates are not able to form or join an electoral list by Monday, they will be unable to continue running for Parliament but will not be reimbursed the LL8,000,000 ($5,330) registration fee.

Among the most notable lists registered Thursday were a list by Teymour Jumblatt for the Aley-Chouf district and a list led by the Lebanese Forces submitted by Social Affairs Minister Pierre Bou Assi for Baabda.

The Armenian heavyweight Tashnag Party announced its candidates for the elections, with three potential MPs for Beirut I – Hagop Terzian, Alexander Matosian (Armenian Orthodox) and Serge Jokhadarian (Armenian Catholic).

Tashnag Party head and MP Hagop Pakradounian will once again be their candidate for Metn.

As elections inch closer, more focus will be placed on incidents such as the arrest of a sheikh from Baalbeck-Hermel who is running for a Shiite seat in the Hezbollah stronghold. Sheikh Abbas al-Jawhari was arrested after he headed to the General Security branch in Beirut in order to finalize a passport-related document for a domestic worker, General Security announced.

He was arrested based on a warrant against him that was issued in absentia for drug-related charges, the statement added.

LBCI reported that sources close to the sheikh said he had received a clean criminal background report on March 4, but yet he was reportedly arrested on a warrant issued in February. Jawhari is an outspoken critic of Hezbollah.

Speaker Nabih Berri met with the head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc MP Mohammad Raad and the two discussed the elections. After the meeting held at Berri’s south Lebanon residence in Msayleh, Raad spoke of the strong bond between Amal Movement and Hezbollah.

“We listened to his [advice] and Speaker Berri will always remain the big brother who [supports] the resistance and the march of those who are keen on ... the development of this nation,” Raad said according to a statement from Berri’s office.Hezbollah’s deputy head Sheikh Naim Qassem criticized the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon for what he claimed was their “interference in ... the electoral process to bring down the resistance’s approach.” Speaking at an electoral event in Hadath, Qassem reaffirmed Hezbollah’s ties with the Free Patriotic Movement, saying the two had formed an alliance in Baabda and Beirut II.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Saad Hariri held a number of meetings to discuss the elections as multiple candidates put their fate in the premier’s hands. “We have put our candidacy at the decision of [Hariri] and will do what is in the interest of the Future Movement,” a Sunni candidate for Akkar, Noureddine Merhi, said in a sentiment echoed by several others after meeting with Hariri at his Downtown Beirut residence.

Hariri also held a meeting with members of the civil society organizations and research centers to discuss the capital investment program that Lebanon will carry to the next month’s CEDRE conference in Paris.

“Lebanon aims at developing and modernizing its institutions and I am fully convinced that this can only succeed by launching a real partnership with the civil society,” Hariri told the visitors. He said that the plans would include soft loans to help Lebanon finance infrastructure projects: water, sewage, electricity, technology and communications.

Hariri also noted that the conference sends an important message about strengthening confidence in Lebanon and providing its economy with the necessary support to face the repercussions of the tensions in the region and the burden resulting from the Syrian displacement. “It also gives an important sign that Lebanon is a priority for the international community,” a statement from the prime minister’s office said. He also vowed the government would guarantee the transparency of spending, the statement added.

Regarding the 2018 state budget, which is being studied by Parliament’s Finance and Budget Committee, local media reported that all ministries’ budgets have been approved by the committee.

LBCI reported that the 2018 budget could be passed by Parliament next Wednesday, in a strong boost for the Lebanese delegation heading into CEDRE. If the bill is passed next week, Parliament would have made swift work of it as it was only endorsed by Cabinet on March 12. By contrast, the 2017 state budget took seven months for Parliament to ratify.

Hariri also met Thursday with Norwegian Ambassador to Lebanon Lene Lind. A tweet from the latter said the two discussed offshore natural gas opportunities as Lebanon seeks to develop its oil and gas production.

An official statement released by Hariri’s press office after the sit-down at the Grand Serail in Beirut did not detail the exact content of the discussion.

The meeting comes after Lebanon signed its first offshore oil and gas production agreements last month.

Defense Minister Yaacoub Sarraf met with Fulfaro Achille, Middle East regional manager of Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri. The company manufactures military and civilian ships. Italian Ambassador to Lebanon Massimo Marotti was present during the meeting, where “discussions touched on the importance of the role the Lebanese Navy plays in coordination with the UNIFIL maritime units,” a statement from the Defense Ministry said.

Copyright © 2018, The Daily Star. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).