Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09BEIRUT418
2009-04-08 17:03:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Beirut
Cable title:  

LEBANON: CANDIDATES REGISTERED... WHAT NEXT?

Tags:  PREL PGOV PINR AID LE 
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VZCZCXRO2820
PP RUEHAG RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHLB #0418/01 0981703
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 081703Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIRUT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4652
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 3649
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 3849
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 000418 

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ELA
ALSO FOR IO/A A/S WARLICK
P FOR DRUSSELL
USUN FOR WOLFF/GERMAIN/SCHEDLBAUER
NSC FOR MCDERMOTT SHAPIRO
DOD/OSD FOR FLOURNOY/KAHL/DALTON
DRL/NESA FOR WHITMAN BARGHOUT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR AID LE
SUBJECT: LEBANON: CANDIDATES REGISTERED... WHAT NEXT?

Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

OFFICIAL CANDIDATE
REGISTRATION COMPLETE
---------------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 000418

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ELA
ALSO FOR IO/A A/S WARLICK
P FOR DRUSSELL
USUN FOR WOLFF/GERMAIN/SCHEDLBAUER
NSC FOR MCDERMOTT SHAPIRO
DOD/OSD FOR FLOURNOY/KAHL/DALTON
DRL/NESA FOR WHITMAN BARGHOUT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR AID LE
SUBJECT: LEBANON: CANDIDATES REGISTERED... WHAT NEXT?

Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

OFFICIAL CANDIDATE
REGISTRATION COMPLETE
--------------


1. (SBU) Registration of candidates for the June 7
parliamentary elections officially closed at 11:59 pm April

7. The official count of registered candidates reached 702,
for the 128 seats in cabinet. Only eight of these are women;
Nayla Tueni in Beirut and Education Minister Bahiya Hariri in
Sidon being the most notable. Registered candidates have
until April 21 to withdraw their candidacy, with replacement
possible by another registered candidate.


2. (SBU) The battleground Zahle district (predominantly
Christian, West Bekaa) saw the most registrations with 69
candidates for seven seats. Tiny Minnieh-Dinnieh had 12
registrations for each of its three seats, making it the most
intensely contested district. Several individual political
parties have unveiled their political platforms. Two March
14 parties, Future Movement and Lebanese Forces, held
conventions April 4 and 5 respectively, while Walid
Jumblatt's PSP will hold its conference May 1. Amal Leader
and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri announced Amal would
unveil its candidates soon. Hizballah announced its
candidates on April 1 (septel).

NOTABLES AND NOTEWORTHY
--------------


3. (SBU) Noteworthy among the registered candidates:

-- Saida: PM Fouad Siniora announced his candidacy for one
of Saida's two seats. He will run with current March 14
Education Minister Bahiya Hariri (Rafiq's sister, Saad's
aunt.) Instead of maintaining an agreement between the
majority and opposition to split the two seats, March 14
decided to contest both seats, a move that raised some
eyebrows because of the possibility of Sunni-Shia conflict
during a contested race. Hariri and Siniora would be favored
in this strongly Sunni district.

-- Baabda, Jezzine: Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun

and his nominal ally Speaker Nabih Berri continue to dispute
who gets to name Christian candidates in predominantly Shia
districts such as Jezzine and Baabda, which also have
significant Christian populations. The list of candidates
indicates that their ally, Hizballah, is seeking to mediate
between them by giving up its seats in certain districts in
favor of Aoun's-- much to Berri's displeasure.

-- Kesrwan: Michel Aoun will run for re-election here.
Carlos Edde, a Christian March 14 gadfly, registered to run
in this district, a mild surprise. This may be a tactical
move by March 14 because Edde is an outspoken critic of Aoun
who can challenge him in political discourse, although not in
popularity. Prominent businessman Neemat Frem decided not to
run, leaving one of the district's "big families" out of the
election.

-- Tripoli: Expected candidates registered including former
PM and Syrian supporter Omar Karami, independent and former
PM Najib Mikati, Minister Mohammed Safadi and Mosbah
al-Ahdab. Saad Hariri's Future Movement candidates will
include Samir Saadeh, an outsider from Batroun, but not
prominent March 14 Secretariat figure Samir Franjieh. The
Tripoli electoral scene remains fluid, with meetings ongoing
among all of the major players and Saad Hariri (septel).

-- Aley: March 14 Druze leader Walid Jumblatt made a
concession by giving up two candidate seats to his allies.
There is strong perception by some interlocutors that
Jumblatt's very reluctantly agreed to take two Christian
candidates in districts where he is strong as a concession to
his March 14 allies. His weak endorsements of the two
candidates is viewed as Jumblatt indicating to his supporters
that they should vote "freely," even if it means not for the

BEIRUT 00000418 002 OF 002


two he publicly endorsed.

-- Others: Former Speaker Hussein Husseini registered in
Baalbeck-Hermel, but has given no indication of any candidate
list affiliation. Meanwhile, Ahmed al-Assaad, registered in
Marjeyoun as an independent.

ELECTION COMMAND CENTER
--------------


4. (C) Interior Minister Ziad Baroud hosted President
Sleiman, PM Siniora, Speaker Berri and invited donor
representatives, including USAID Mission Director, to open
the Election Command Center at midnight on April 7.
President Sleiman spoke of the election producing winners and
losers, but noted that everyone "moves forward." At the
event in which Sleiman ceremoniously closed the doors to the
center at midnight to signal the end of the registration
period, a USAID-funded election website was unveiled. The
website, www.elections.gov.lb , was developed by IFES and
will provide official electoral updates. Additionally, the
center includes a dedicated election and voter fraud and
abuse hotline for callers to make anonymous reports on
irregularities.
SISON