Hardly a day goes by without a strike or a sit- in today in Lebanon. Last week witnessed a surge in street activities. Teachers, university professors, lorry drivers, fishermen as well as workers took to the street in different parts of the country to protest against the dire economic situation that is claiming a heavy toll on the Lebanese population. But as the country prepares for the 7 June parliamentary elections, the social question hardly features on the electoral platforms of the different political forces contesting the elections. …
As the June elections near, cracks are surfacing in the two main political coalitions, threatening to challenge the unity and cohesion of each camp. Internal disputes over candidates have come out into the open. Attempts to suppress differences in order to appear as unified blocs have failed. Electoral competition will prove crucial in testing this unity. One possibility is that such disputes could end—or at least minimise— the bipolar political and social fracture that has taken root in the country and divided it since 2005. …
Regional rivalry that helped sustain the polarization is shifting to new grounds. Reconciliation is in progress between Saudi Arabia and Syria, the international tribunal on Rafik Al-Hariri’s assassination has become a reality; the United States is seeking dialogue with Tehran, and the West is opening up to Hezbollah; and the sectarian wave that hit the region following the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq is calming down: all seem to be also affecting local actors on the Lebanese scene. Access the full article>>
