Aoun nominates himself for the elections, Lahoud warns against vast boycott
Lebanon, Politics, 5/23/2005

The leader of the free national trend, Michael Aoun, said he will nominate himself for the Lebanese parliamentary elections, at a time when each of the former prime minister Omar Karami and the Islamic groups announced their boycott of these elections as nominees and voters.

Aoun said in an interview with "Voice of Lebanon" radio in Beirut replying to a question on the decision to nominate himself personally "yes my nomination will be in the mount of Lebanon," but he did not define the circle for which he will nominate in that district of a Christian majority.

Aoun explained that there is nothing new so far in the issue of the negotiations with the Druz leader Walid Junblat and al-Mustaqbal ( future) trend which is led by Saad Eddine al-Hariri, the son of the former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri. But, he on the other hand, stressed he will announce within hours his alliance with whom he will launch the elections with.

Worthy mentioning that the negotiations between Aoun, on the one hand, and al-Mustaqbal trend and Junblat from the other hand are facing problems on the parliamentary representation in the Baabda - Aleyeh district due to the intermingling of sects in this district which had voted for Junblat in the last parliamentary elections took place in Lebanon in 2000.

On the other hand and commenting on Karami's announcement to abstain from taking part in the elections, considering that the parliamentarians in the new parliament will be appointed more than being elected, the Lebanese president Emil Lahoud on Saturday expressed his fears that huge number of the Lebanese will boycott the elections which will be held on stages as from May 29 until June 19.

A statement issued by the presidential office on Saturday said that the boycott of "a statesman and political leader like Karami for the elections made the democratic competition in certain areas incomplete." The Islamic group, by its turn, announced boycotting the elections. Sunni and Christian political figures which had earlier nominated themselves for the elections in Beirut, the north and the south did the same.

Previous Stories:
  Miqati denies any Syrian influence in Lebanon   (5/21/2005)
  Lebanese Islamic group calls for boycotting the elections   (5/21/2005)
  Lebanon condemns foreign intervention in internal affairs   (5/21/2005)

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