As has been the case for the past six decades or so, the usually turbulent politics of Lebanon mirror almost perfectly the many strands of political, ideological, commercial and criminal activities that define public life in the Arab region.
So it is again with the elections that will take place on June 7 - comprising a series of positive and negative attributes that give these elections much greater significance than would normally be the case.
I would suggest five dimensions by which the election results could shed light on pertinent national, regional and global issues.
1. This is a rare election in the Arab world because the results are not known ahead of time - and when they are known, they definitely will not show one party winning 97.8 per cent of the vote, as happens in so many other Arab countries where most elections are an insulting joke.
This is especially true because there are something like 17-19 seats whose results are unpredictable (out of 128 total) - and they will determine the overall results. The resolution of ideological competition through a truly contested free vote should be celebrated - along with the alphabet and tabbouleh salad - as one of Lebanon’s most meaningful contributions to Arab civilisation. This is the last little corner of Arabism where people valiantly hang on to the idea that democratic pluralism is at once appropriate, desirable and functional.
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