|
|
LEBANON: Legal Flaws Could Twist Election Result
By Brian D. Pellot
BEIRUT, Jun 1, 2009 (IPS) - When Lebanon heads to the polls Jun. 7 to decide whether the Hizbullah-led
opposition alliance will unseat the ruling Western-backed coalition, voter
anonymity could be compromised by shortcomings in the 2008 parliamentary
election law.
"The new law is a disaster," Paul Sawaya, Beirut district coordinator with the
Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections told IPS. "Some of the reforms
are good, but many others still need to be adopted."
Reforms under the current law require voters to enter private booths, seal
their ballots in official envelopes, slide them into transparent ballot boxes,
and dip their thumbs in indelible ink. These reforms, while championed by
local watchdog organisations, fail to address a source of corruption that has
altered Lebanese elections for decades - the lack of official standardised
ballots.
The proposal for an official ballot listing all eligible candidates in each
electoral district was rejected along with other reforms designed to promote
fair and democratic elections when the finalised electoral law was adopted in
September 2008.
"All parties said they were with the pre-printed ballots, but when it came to
parliament, no one voted for it," Lynne Ghossein, programme director at the
Lebanese Transparency Association (LTA) told IPS. "The current system
provides a means to buy votes, so of course political figures did not want
this reform."
According to Sawaya, ballot papers are typically produced by political parties
in each district and list only the candidates they endorse for each seat. If
voters opt to forego pre-printed party ballots, they may write the names of
candidates they wish to elect on a blank piece of paper.
The current law explicitly states, however, that any ballot papers containing
identification marks shall be considered spoilt. This inherent contradiction
leaves the validity of write-in ballots at the discretion of polling officials.
The party ballots can be meticulously tailored through font size, layout and
design before being distributed to families. "This system allows electoral
machines to track who is voting for them," Sawaya told IPS.
The law permits party agents to monitor polling stations, ballot counting,
and ballot reviews, providing them ample opportunity to identify these
embedded distinguishing ballot features during the election. Without an
official ballot, parties can effectively intimidate voters and offer in-kind and
cash incentives by monitoring their compliance at the polls.
Jean-Michel Abouhamad de Tarrazi who is managing the campaign for his
mother Gilberte Zwein, MP, told IPS, "The influence of money in this election
is a disaster. My mother is in a really good position, but things will depend
on how many people her opponents are able to bribe. If they can buy a few
thousand people, it could definitely change the outcome."
Many citizens fed up with the state of Lebanese politics plan to demonstrate
their democratic rights by sealing a blank, unmarked piece of paper inside
their official envelopes. Others will simply not vote.
Sawaya plans to submit a blank piece of paper in protest. "There are no
candidates, parties or programmes that are fulfilling my expectations," he
told IPS. "I want to show that I disagree with all of them."
Sawaya told IPS that many disgruntled voters cast blank votes in past
elections to voice their dissatisfaction with candidates. These votes will be
considered valid for the first time this election under a provision in the new
law stating that blank ballots shall be counted. These could measure the
extent of dissatisfaction with the electoral process.
Michel Abdallah, who has lived in Beirut his entire life, is required to vote an
hour's drive north in Byblos due to regulations stating that citizens must vote
in their district of family origin. He plans to stay home rather than brave the
cross-country election day traffic.
"I don't believe in idealism any more, and I don't care about the international
politics. I want something for Lebanon, not for Iran or Saudi Arabia,"
Abdallah told IPS. "If you run for parliament, you should work for your area.
These guys work for their pockets and for prestige."
Gaelle Kibranian, another programmes director at LTA, believes that
implementing the United Nations Convention against Corruption, which
Lebanon ratified last year, could greatly reduce some of the problems facing
Lebanese politics.
"This would have a great impact on upcoming elections. It would allow for
the development of access to information laws, and whistleblowers, and
would help citizens stand and provide testimony that they were bribed,"
Kibranian told IPS.
LTA will include provision of official ballots in its advocacy and lobbying
strategy post-elections to improve transparency, anonymity and stability in
the electoral process.
"The politics in Lebanon over the last few years has been completely
dominated by polarised sectarianism and security issues, leaving very little
room for substantive debate," Nadim Houry, senior researcher at Human
Rights Watch in Lebanon told IPS. (END)
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
What is RSS?
