Salam denies foreign interference in Lebanon elections

As Lebanon prepares for its parliamentary elections, several media reports and politicians claim that the country is under pressure to postpone the juncture.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam denied the claims, in an interview Thursday. No one has urged him to hold or to postpone the elections, he said.

Pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper had reported that the United States, Saudi Arabia, and France are pressuring Lebanon to postpone the elections for at least one year. The report claimed that these countries have voiced their lack of enthusiasm for holding elections that would fail to produce genuine change, accusing them of working to "impose" the postponement on the Lebanese as a fait accompli.

Free Patriotic Movement leader Jebran Bassil and Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah also condemned "foreign interference" in Lebanon's elections, both hinting that LF leader Samir Geagea is yielding to foreign requests.

"Foreign countries are attempting to impose a term extension on Lebanon. These powers have begun lobbying officials to extend the current Parliament’s mandate for the sake of external considerations that have nothing to do with our national interests," Fadlallah said.

A report published Thursday in al-Joumhouria denied foreign interference. It said the postponement is not a foreign request but rather domestically driven.

"Some Lebanese parties are worried about the elections outcome and have sought the help of their (foreign) allies," a source told the daily. "Some — but not all — foreign parties responded positively to the idea of a postponement."