The balances of power in the region are shifting as new alliances advance and others recede. Each faction has its own reading of these developments, and so they strive to push things in the direction they see as serving their interests. Every decision-maker is worried about the region’s reconfiguration being shaped at their country’s expense!
That is what is happening everywhere but Lebanon, where the political class has handed the country’s decision-making to foreign powers through Hezbollah. This ruling clique thrives on the lack of a national consciousness. While the names change, they continue to do what they are told in return for their seats at the table and their shares. They have succeeded at bringing the Lebanese to their knees, weakening their ability to resist, and determined their priorities for them. The citizens of the country are fighting one another instead of the corrupt ruling clique. Everyday needs have prevailed, turning gas stations and pharmacies into the enemy… Meanwhile, the enemy is he who is responsible for the shambolic state the country is in and for allowing the country to be pawned. It is the entire political class whose corruption grows like a cancer and has left the country with no other remedy than to have this tumor removed!
When the time was right for the hegemonic party, the new government was formed. It reproduced the worst of the “national unity” governments that have governed the country over the past few decades. The authorities had splintered after large chunks of the country were destroyed, and the country’s institutions were paralyzed after having turned into empty, lifeless structures.
Previously, Hassan Diab’s government had been tasked with disciplining the Lebanese, who had revolted against the regime and raised the slogan “all of them means all of them.” It allowed the collapses to exacerbate and oversaw the implementation of the decision to transfer the country’s wealth abroad. Whether through the smuggling of capital or the smuggling of subsidized goods, the country was plundered to the last cent! It was succeeded by the “counter-revolutionary” government. This government’s priority, according to Hezbollah, is to make people forget about the hopes of retrieving the hijacked state, restoring the constitution, the rule of law, and equal opportunities that “October 17” inspired. It came to do away with the forensic investigation into the terrorist crime of the blast at the port after the measures taken by Judge Tarek Bitar threatened the downfall of the entire political class, immediately after a bunch of senior politicians and security and military officials were charged. It set its sights on a pivotal goal, restoring confidence in the sectarian-quota -based spoil sharing system and bringing the country back to the pre-October 17 and the pre-August 4 era! That is, they want new elections despite President Aoun’s resistance because of his fear of being wiped out!
Hezbollah is carrying out the threat that Hassan Nasrallah made on August 27 of halting the judicial investigation and changing Judge Bitar. Wafic Safa, who is in charge of Hezbollah’s Liaison Coordination Unit, openly threatens to “remove” the lead investigator from the Justice Palace.
The threat is met with absolute silence from the political class and absence from the lawyers’ syndicate. Meanwhile, the judiciary has its head in the sand… Those close to Hezbollah, like Wiam Wahab, say that “no one can reach” the party responsible for the blast! In Lebanon, when ministers and parliamentarians were charged with a felony, they were not questioned by the judiciary. Instead, they have declared that they are responsible to their top religious cleric, not the constitution, and filed lawsuits against the judge. Some of them suddenly became experts of criminal justice and constitutional law, qualified to determine the type of judge before whom they can appear! They were aided by the dark rooms that put illegal but sufficient impediments with the help of judges willing to prevent the investigator from continuing his work, which has reached a decisive stage. Their slogan is “declaring the truth about the massacre at the port is beyond the court’s reach,” even though everyone knows who is responsible and who is the complicit!
On Monday, the UN Security Council demanded that Mikati’s government allow for a fair and transparent investigation, a message that warned of the dangers of continuing to kill as though it were normal practice and of underestimating the implications of confronting the “aggression” by Judge Bitar by replacing him with a “tame” judge. The approach of obstructing the work of the judiciary will not pass because it incurs high costs on the country and its society, which has become victimized as a whole. That was demonstrated by the popular support shown yesterday (Wednesday) for the path of justice and for the judge. The case is long, and though the authoritarians have many means they can use to impede it, the citizens will not allow the accused to evade justice. Their complicity follows them around, they have become hated by the people, the criminals have been identified, and their status can only change if the court proves the opposite!
Those making the election government’s decisions are still betting on refortifying the clique, and so they have already prepared for stealing the elections! In Lebanon, elections are democratic in form, as when elections were held during the era of Syrian tutelage, everyone knew what the results would be beforehand, and the behavior today suggests that nothing has changed with the Iranian regime now in control through its “party.” They want to solidify the fact that they are in control of the domestic situation, that they will reconfigure the country, determine its stance, and decide where it stands.
Hezbollah started its intimidation campaign early on, announcing that it is determined to confront change and prevent its authority from being undermined! Deputy Mohammad Raad has said: “They deludedly think that they can change the country’s political course,” without telling us who they are. Still, he is warning them that the party will not allow anyone to undercut Hezbollah’s control over Lebanon whatever the consequences, which reminds us of the time in 2009 when Nasrallah said: “let the winners of the elections rule, and then imposed power-sharing when he and his team lost.
Electoral manipulation begins by spreading despair. This approach manifested itself in the formation of the latest government, which was a coalition that included all those who brought ruin to the country and starvation and displacement to its people. It tells them: You have seen the outcome. The goal is spreading reluctance among voters and candidates about taking part in the electoral process!
The second priority for electoral manipulation is setting an early date for the elections on March 27, which kills two birds with one stone. On the one hand, opposition forces are squeezed as they are denied the time needed to wage a serious battle. On the other hand, holding elections before March 30th means that the electoral lists will be devoid of the names of tens of thousands of youth, who will lose their right based on the pretext that time constraints had prevented the lists from being corrected! However, the strongest card they depend on to manipulate the election results is denying expatriates their right to vote!
The law grants expatriates the rights of residents, and the people in power have always publicly praised the role of the Lebanese diaspora in rescuing the country, with remittances that exceeded 3.6 billion dollars sent to the country in 2020. However, granting them their right to participate in the elections after having looted their deposits is another matter! Out of the close to one million and 700 thousand depositor accounts that were completely robbed, around 500 thousand accounts belong to members of the diaspora, who were deceived by the lies told about the lira’s strength. They lost their life savings. So, it is believed that they will vote overwhelmingly against the authority that forced them out and robbed them. Those forces have thus agreed to deny this right to expatriates. Many excuses have been presented, the most important of which is that “Hezbollah,” because it is on the terrorist list, will not have an equal opportunity to compel expatriates to vote! But denying expatriates, this right will render the elections illegitimate.
It is a scheme to perpetuate the hijacking of the Lebanese’s decision-making and the Lebanese state, which is among the most critical tasks for the “counter revolution” government . However, the facts and the people’s various strengths will prevent domestication, and it will not allow an easy destruction of the country. They will get what’s coming to them soon!
