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5 Billion Liras Pumped into Sweida ahead of Syria Elections

People celebrate Assad's electoral run at a regime-organized rally. (Sweida 24)
People celebrate Assad's electoral run at a regime-organized rally. (Sweida 24)
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5 Billion Liras Pumped into Sweida ahead of Syria Elections

People celebrate Assad's electoral run at a regime-organized rally. (Sweida 24)
People celebrate Assad's electoral run at a regime-organized rally. (Sweida 24)

Days after the eruption of anti-regime protests in the southern Syrian city of Sweida in rejection of the upcoming presidential elections, the government in Damascus announced that it was allotting 5 billion liras in support of the province.

Official media sources said Prime Minister Hussein Arnous, accompanied by 13 ministers, paid a visit to the province on Sunday.

This was the first official government team to visit the province in years. An opposition outlet said that concerned municipal authorities had cleaned the streets of the city for the first time in years ahead of the arrival of the government team.

Local sources said the visit was aimed at easing the tensions ahead of the elections, which incumbent president Bashar Assad is expected to win.

They blamed the tensions on the lavish spending celebratory electoral rallies that have been sponsored by local security and party branches and which appear to have provoked the people, who are suffering from very dire living conditions.

Days ago, unknown people defaced an electoral poster of Assad. Authorities immediately removed it.

Dozens of locals also recently released a statement announcing their complete rejection of the elections, which they described as a farce.

They added that the elections were an attempt to promote the Assad regime “that has committed war crimes against the Syrian people over the years and brought in various forms of occupation to the country to cement his hold on power over piles of skulls and destruction.”

Dozens of Sweida locals had last week signed a statement, issued by intellectual figures, denouncing the “inappropriate” celebrations that have recently been held in Sweida.

They said the celebrations do not reflect the “sacrifices and dignity” of the locals of a province, “whose people have been displaced and impoverished by the regime.”

Baath party officials, militia leaders and other regime loyalists have been holding constant celebrations in Sweida ahead of Wednesday’s elections. Several party leaders have visited the locals to persuade them to join the rallies, saying it was their “national duty.”

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Arab World

Aoun Wants Formation of ‘Consensual’ Lebanese Govt Representing All Components

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
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Aoun Wants Formation of ‘Consensual’ Lebanese Govt Representing All Components

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is advocating the formation of a government of “consensus” that includes representatives from all political factions.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam has requested that parliamentary blocs submit non-partisan nominees for ministerial positions, emphasizing that they must not belong to any political party.

Aoun stressed on Tuesday that all components of society have the right to be represented in the government, parliament and public administration, as this is already practiced in the army.

“We have significant opportunities that we hope to seize by uniting all elements of Lebanese society—civil, spiritual, and political. Together, we can rebuild our nation,” he declared.

Highlighting the importance of meeting international expectations, Aoun hoped for the rapid formation of a government to achieve political, economic, and security stability, which would allow citizens “to live with dignity, not merely in relative comfort.”

During meetings with professional delegations at the Presidential Palace, Aoun said: “We are at a crossroads. Either we take advantage of the current circumstances and rise above sectarian, religious, and political divisions, or we head in a different direction and bear full responsibility for failing to fulfill our duties.”

Negotiations between Aoun, Salam, and political factions over the formation of a government are ongoing. The discussions, which kicked off last week, have reportedly made progress, with efforts directed toward expediting the government formation process, issuing decrees, preparing a ministerial statement, and securing its vote of confidence from lawmakers.

While the Shiite duo of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement appear to have finalized their proposed nominees for the government, disagreements over the ministerial statement remain.

MP Waddah Sadek, who is backed by the opposition, firmly rejected the inclusion of the “Army, People, Resistance” term in the statement. He declared: “No ‘blocking third’ in the government, and no unconstitutional gimmicks. The slogan of the new phase in Lebanon should be: the ‘Army, People, and State.’”

The Kataeb Party echoed this stance, stressing that Lebanon, emerging from a devastating war between Hezbollah and Israel, must align with the Aoun’s inaugural speech and Salam’s remarks by ensuring the ministerial statement exclusively underscores the state’s monopoly over arms and the defense of the nation.

“The government must act decisively, dismantle militias, strictly enforce the ceasefire, and uphold its provisions across all Lebanese territory,” it demanded.

The Kataeb Party also urged Aoun and Salam to resist the “great extortion” by Hezbollah and Amal to secure specific ministries or positions, in violation of the inaugural speech, calling instead for the application of uniform standards to ensure the government’s success.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah adopted a more confrontational tone.

MP Hussein Hajj Hassan, a member of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, commented: “To those betting on Hezbollah’s weakness or the weakness of the Hezbollah-Amal alliance, what will you say when the government is formed? What will you say when you realize the strength of Hezbollah, the alliance, and the resistance’s supporters across all segments of Lebanese society? What will you say when you see the unwavering determination and unity of the resistance at every critical juncture?”