Political Fog in Lebanon as Doors Close for Parliament Candidacy

Today, Tuesday, doors will close for candidacy for the parliament elections on May 15.

A low turnout is expected in the Sunni community, as former prime minister Saad Hariri's political exit created a vacuum and a need for a new mantle.

After former PMs Saad Hariri and Tammam Salam, Prime Minister Najib Miqati also said he would not run for parliament, vowing to continue work to pull Lebanon out of its crippling economic and financial crisis.

Ex-PM Fouad Saniora, for his part, will back a list in Beirut, al-Akhbar newspaper said Tuesday, amid a lack of support from Beirut's families, who according to the daily, have decided in a meeting to respect Hariri's wish.

The daily added that Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan has also informed Saniora that he will not support his list after having received a message from Hariri who blamed him for supporting Saniora.

The Hariri-Saniora conflict was reflected in Dar al-Fatwa as Sunni clerics were divided between Hairiri supportes and Saniora supporters, al-Akhbar said.

On another note, Lebanese opposition groups have struggled to form a united front while Hizbullah will be running on a joint list with its allies, including President Michel Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's Amal group.

Hizbullah and its allies hold majority seats in the 128-member legislature. Their opponents hope to deprive them of the majority in May’s vote, riding on the wave of public anger against the country’s political class.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, who launched his electoral campaign on Monday, said Hizbullah is not a resistance but an "Iranian occupation."

He asked voters to "avenge the blood of all the martyrs who fell in order for Lebanon to stay."