BEIRUT: A total of 103 electoral lists will compete in around 40 days for 128 seats in the Lebanese Parliament.
No one had expected the surprisingly high number, with only 77 lists in the previous elections in 2018.
There are 11 electoral lists in the Tripoli constituency alone, followed by the capital, Beirut, with 10 competing lists.
While all constituencies had an unprecedented increase in the number of lists, South Lebanon’s third constituency has the lowest number, with only three lists.
These parliamentary elections are particularly important since they are the first to be held after the October 2019 protests and the subsequent financial and economic crises.
In addition, this parliament will in turn elect the next Lebanese president for a six-year term to succeed Michel Aoun.
The electoral lists registration deadline ended at midnight on Monday, with an increase of 26 lists from the 2018 elections.
The number of candidates reached 1043, 42 of whom withdrew, and 284 others did not join the electoral lists.
The number of candidates who joined the lists decreased to 718, including 118 women, with a noticeable increase in the percentage of women over the previous elections.
Civil society groups, known as the “new forces,” were divided between several lists in all constituencies.
In 2018, there were 77 lists with 597 candidates, 86 of whom were women.
The total number of candidates reached 976, including 113 women, but 379 candidates withdrew or did not join the lists.
Since the Future Movement refrained from participating in the elections, candidates loyal to the movement were distributed among several lists from Akkar to Sidon.
Some submitted their resignations from the movement before submitting their candidacies, while others are new faces running for the first time.
Some MPs of the bloc re-nominated themselves independently in the North and West Bekaa constituencies.
The lists of the Shiite duo Hezbollah and the Amal Movement remained the same as in the previous elections, with minor changes in Nabatiyeh, Bint Jbeil, Zahle and Baalbek-Hermel.
The lists of the Free Patriotic Movement, Aoun’s supporters, were slightly altered as some former MPs were excluded from the lists.
Meanwhile, major changes were made in the Lebanese Forces lists in various constituencies from the North to Beirut.
The “new forces” are contesting the elections with unified lists in various constituencies, although the rivalries that prevailed between these forces had given the impression that they will be unable to reach an understanding on unified lists.
Some of these lists have good chances of winning over the ruling parties’ lists in several constituencies, with some serious battles ahead in 10 of the 16.
However, political observers believe that the existence of a large number of opposition lists is not necessarily a good thing, and may reflect the existing differences between these forces that would split votes in favor of the ruling parties, especially since voters loyal to traditional parties all vote for the same parties they have always supported, especially Hezbollah, the Amal Movement.
They also feel that the traditional parties will now focus on securing votes for their strongest candidates in each constituency or finding ways to bring down other candidates.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Interior has to train over 14,000 permanent employees and about 2,000 others in electoral law and on the logistical matters required of them on election day, in addition to securing electricity and the internet at polling and sorting stations, as well as transportation for staff and logistics; all of which have become very expensive.
On Tuesday, the Election Supervisory Authority began monitoring electoral campaigns, electoral advertising and electoral spending.
