Hezbollah to boycott Sunday's municipal elections in Beirut

Beirut - The Iranian-backed Shiite Hezbollah movement announced Wednesday that they will boycott the second phase of Lebanon's municipal elections in order to avoid any "sectarian strife."

Hezbollah and the western-backed opposition was suppose to run Sunday's election in one united list, but the two parties failed to reach an agreement.

A statement by the group said that Hezbollah had felt the current conciliatory atmosphere was an opportunity to form a united list, but that the party faced strong opposition from "the other side (the western-backed ruling majority)."

"To avoid an electoral battle to protect the capital from sectarian strife, a reference to forming a competing list to that of Sunni Prime Minister Saad Hariri's, the "Beirut Unity" list, a decision was taken to boycott the Beirut Municipal elections scheduled to take place on Sunday," the statement said.

The group called on their supporters to only participate in Sunday's mayoral elections and boycott the municipal councils.

Lebanese voters will continue to cast their ballots over three Sundays in May, during which some 963 local councils and nearly 2,800 mayors are due to be elected.

Lebanon's 4-million-strong population is divided between Christians, Sunni Muslims and Shiite Muslims, with around a third each, as well as a number of other smaller religious groups.

Relations over the past few months have improved between the western-backed majority headed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri and the Syrian and Iranian backed Hezbollah opposition.

The mayors and councilors which are elected by voters every six years have no legislative powers, but deal with day-to-day affairs such as education.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/322179,hezbollah-to-boycott-sundays-municipal-elections-in-beirut.html.