[Amshit, Lebanon] It’s raining cats and dogs in Amshit. Hardly anyone ventures out on this chilly January afternoon, which seems so grey despite the red and white Lebanese flags festooning the pretty Mediterranean town decorated with masses of pictures of its most famous son, Michel Suleiman.
The present head of the Lebanese army seems likely to be the next president of the Cedar Republic. A reason to celebrate, one would think, especially at the beginning of the New Year. But a lonely Christmas tree on one corner of the Place de l’Armée in the town center is the only reminder of the festive season.
In the aftermath of eleven failed attempts by parliament to elect a new head of state, hopes are pretty low in Amshit that the 60-year-old army commander will indeed cross the finishing line. “Of course we Christians will pay the price for our divided leadership,” says Rafiq Qhalifi, a grocery store owner in the Place de l’Armée. “In the end, we mustn’t forget that we are all Christians and mustn’t fall apart in more useless political battles.” The consequences would be terrible, asserts the 73 year old.
In principle, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora’s government and the opposition agree that Michel Suleiman, the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, is the man for the job. Still they remain at odds over the election process and the shape of the new administration.
The opposition, under Hizbullah Secretary-General Hasan Na’srallah and Michel ‘Aoun, leader of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), is demanding a heap of guarantees for the new government line-up – ahead of any vote. Late last year, the speaker of the Lebanese parliament, Nabih Berri, also an opposition member, ringed January 12th as the date of the next attempt to elect a new president.
The majority insists the president should decide how the government is constituted. The president traditionally comes from the Maronite Christian community, many of whose members fear marginalization.
Claire Haadad is a Maronite Christian from Amshit. Unlike most people, she won’t hang posters of Suleiman on her house or car before he is elected. “Of course I will celebrate if parliament really votes for him”, said Claire, “but celebrating ahead of time will only harm the army.” After all, the man tipped to succeed Suleiman as head of the army, Francois Hajj, was murdered in a bombing in December.
After three years of political turmoil following the assassination of long-standing prime minister Rafiq Al-Hariri in February 2005, Haadad has grown tired of the selfish games played by the politicians in this country of only four million. “We put up with power cuts for seven or eight hours a day. The sewage system doesn’t work and no one repairs our streets,” says the exasperated 47 year old. “Why don’t the politicians deal with the problems?” she wants to know.
The tug-of-war over the Lebanese presidency is the latest battle in a political crisis in which the regional powers Syria and Iran back the opposition, and Saudi Arabia, France and the United States support the government. Since the last president, Emile Lahoud, stepped down on midnight November 23rd, the presidential seat has been vacant.
Thousands of young, well educated Lebanese have fled this country, once vaunted as the Switzerland of the Middle East. Recently, they left because of the war between Israel and Hizbullah in July and August 2006. This has led to a brain drain in which Lebanon’s finest have abandoned their home for Europe, America, or the prospering Gulf states.
“Of course my children will go,” says Haadad wistfully. “What else can they do?” Of her six brothers and sisters, most have been living abroad for years. “The Lebanese all over the world are envied for their entrepreneurship and creativity, but at home we are in a mess.”
Yet, in the Place de l’Armée hope springs eternal that better times will come. “Suleiman will save the country,” says Dounet Ouwad, who owns the Patisserie d’Amshit in the town center. Pictures of the army commander decorate his windows. “He’s a reasonable man—not because he’s from Amshit, but because he’s proved he doesn’t get suckered into bad deals.”