Following the return of Prime Minister Saad Hariri from Riyadh and on the eve of the deadline for submitting candidacies for the spring parliamentary elections, the Mustaqbal electoral campaign turned into a “beehive” as the head of the movement plans to announce the name of his candidates in the coming days.
“The Mustaqbal Movement lists will be shaped in the next 48 hours,” the party’s former MP Mustafa Alloush told Asharq Al-Awsat on Monday.
The lawmaker said that in most electoral districts, the Movement plans to run for the upcoming elections in individual lists, without making alliances with other parties, with some exceptions.
“We will mainly ally with the Lebanese Forces, particularly in the districts of Baalbek-Hermel, the North, Beirut and even Jezzine,” the Mustaqbal Movement official said.
Alloush refused to confirm whether an electoral alliance would be made with the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) in the Zahle or Akkar districts, adding that things will be clearer in the coming two days.
“In all cases, our alliance with the FPM will be restricted to two or three electoral districts,” he said.
Leading FPM sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that an “electoral alliance” with the Mustaqbal Movement in Zahle is already arranged.
“The Lebanese Forces has no interest in joining our alliance in Zahle,” the sources said.
All surveys and electoral experts agree that the Mustaqbal Movement would be the biggest loser in the upcoming elections that are based on a proportional voting law, which has never been implemented in Lebanon.
Alloush predicted that the number of the Movement’s current 33 deputies would drop considerably.
Mustaqbal Movement politburo member Rashed Fayed told Asharq Al-Awsat that Hariri is expected to announce the names of the candidates either in a press conference held at his residence in the Center House or during a rally at the Beirut International Exhibition & Leisure Center (BIEL).
“The names will be announced sometime between March 10 and 15,” he said.
