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AOUN NEEDS SYRIA'S HELP TO WIN IN LEBANON
By Sami Haddad, Ya Libnan Volunteer
Ya Libnan, Lebanon
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2007/08/ aoun_needs_syri.php
Aug 7 2007
The myriad of political insight exposed in Sunday's election have
left each political camp to brag about a moral victory. One fact is
indisputable, outside of Beirut and Damascus, there were no clear
winners on Sunday.
Former general Michel Aoun's candidate, Camille Khoury (pictured
right), won 39,534 votes, against 39,116 votes for Amin Gemayel.
Aoun's narrow margin victory of 400 votes, or half a percent, in the
Christian-dominated Metn district in Lebanon, pales in comparison
to the 80% popularity he claims to have among Lebanon's Christian
population.
Aoun's 80% popularity turned out to be among Lebanon's Armenian
community, who's main political party joined pro-Syrian Michel Murr
in an alliance with Aoun days before Sunday's election.
Aoun's support among his own religious sect, the Maronite Christians,
was far less flattering. While his candidate may have won in the
elections on Sunday, the move may backfire on Aoun's relentless, on
the verge of desperate, drive to become president. Less than half of
the Maronites who voted on Sunday, voted for Aoun.
Since Lebanon's president must be a Maronite Christian, any candidate
should at a minimum have substantial support from their own sect. The
Maronite backlash at Michel Aoun can be traced back to his widely
unpopular alliance with the staunch Syria-aligned Hezbollah.
Syria has always needed a Christian puppet in Lebanon to represent
its interests. Now that the top Syrian General in Lebanon, Lebanese
president Emile Lahoud, is all out of unconstitutional extensions,
and is due to leave office in two months, Syria is pulling all the
strings it has left in Lebanon to force Aoun in as the next puppet.
The current president, Emile Lahoud, presents a clear example of how
divided Lebanon will remain if he is replaced with another Syrian
puppet.
According to Abu Kais of Beirut to the Beltway, it was the Syrian
president who won on Sunday:
If anyone got a boost, it's the Assad killing machine, which proved
still capable of assassinating deputies and replacing them with
others. Aoun supporters should look closely at who really won the
Metn election: the real winner is the Assad regime. They are losing
their street so that the Assad regime can further its goals. Aoun's
popularity among Christians does not matter to Assad, as long as the
former general continues to provide a cover for the plot to bring down
the government and divide the Christian community-which has always been
the heart of the anti-Syrian opposition. Sadly, Aoun's supporters have
convinced themselves that they're being forward-looking by striking
alliances with the pro-Syrian camp.
Sunday's elections clearly showed that Aoun needs the support of
Syria and the pro-Syrian political groups in Lebanon to scrape in a
victory. Winning by the narrowest of margins in the Christian heartland
was a significant setback for Aoun's aspirations to be president,
despite the comparably minor victory for his candidate.
By Sami Haddad, Ya Libnan Volunteer
Ya Libnan, Lebanon
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2007/08/ aoun_needs_syri.php
Aug 7 2007
The myriad of political insight exposed in Sunday's election have
left each political camp to brag about a moral victory. One fact is
indisputable, outside of Beirut and Damascus, there were no clear
winners on Sunday.
Former general Michel Aoun's candidate, Camille Khoury (pictured
right), won 39,534 votes, against 39,116 votes for Amin Gemayel.
Aoun's narrow margin victory of 400 votes, or half a percent, in the
Christian-dominated Metn district in Lebanon, pales in comparison
to the 80% popularity he claims to have among Lebanon's Christian
population.
Aoun's 80% popularity turned out to be among Lebanon's Armenian
community, who's main political party joined pro-Syrian Michel Murr
in an alliance with Aoun days before Sunday's election.
Aoun's support among his own religious sect, the Maronite Christians,
was far less flattering. While his candidate may have won in the
elections on Sunday, the move may backfire on Aoun's relentless, on
the verge of desperate, drive to become president. Less than half of
the Maronites who voted on Sunday, voted for Aoun.
Since Lebanon's president must be a Maronite Christian, any candidate
should at a minimum have substantial support from their own sect. The
Maronite backlash at Michel Aoun can be traced back to his widely
unpopular alliance with the staunch Syria-aligned Hezbollah.
Syria has always needed a Christian puppet in Lebanon to represent
its interests. Now that the top Syrian General in Lebanon, Lebanese
president Emile Lahoud, is all out of unconstitutional extensions,
and is due to leave office in two months, Syria is pulling all the
strings it has left in Lebanon to force Aoun in as the next puppet.
The current president, Emile Lahoud, presents a clear example of how
divided Lebanon will remain if he is replaced with another Syrian
puppet.
According to Abu Kais of Beirut to the Beltway, it was the Syrian
president who won on Sunday:
If anyone got a boost, it's the Assad killing machine, which proved
still capable of assassinating deputies and replacing them with
others. Aoun supporters should look closely at who really won the
Metn election: the real winner is the Assad regime. They are losing
their street so that the Assad regime can further its goals. Aoun's
popularity among Christians does not matter to Assad, as long as the
former general continues to provide a cover for the plot to bring down
the government and divide the Christian community-which has always been
the heart of the anti-Syrian opposition. Sadly, Aoun's supporters have
convinced themselves that they're being forward-looking by striking
alliances with the pro-Syrian camp.
Sunday's elections clearly showed that Aoun needs the support of
Syria and the pro-Syrian political groups in Lebanon to scrape in a
victory. Winning by the narrowest of margins in the Christian heartland
was a significant setback for Aoun's aspirations to be president,
despite the comparably minor victory for his candidate.