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                    Lebanon's Parliament Postpones Elections

   by Paige Kollock

   Lebanon's parliament has voted to postpone elections scheduled for June
   16 because of security concerns about the unstable security situation
   in the country brought on by the conflict in neighboring Syria.
   The decision by Lebanese lawmakers to postpone elections and extend
   their mandate until November 2014 is the first time they have done so
   since the Lebanese civil war ended in 1990.
   The move comes after an uptick in violence in recent weeks due to the
   war in neighboring Syria.
   Sami Nader, an international relations professor at Saint Joseph
   University, said the decision sends a damaging message to a Lebanese
   public craving political stability.

   "People are losing hope. It's the wrong signal for the youth because
   youth are giving up when it comes to their attachment to Lebanon
   because they are considering that they're living in a kind of a jungle.
   It's the wrong message for the investors and foreign investment... it's
   the wrong message all across the line," said Nader.
   Lebanese are ideologically divided over the Syrian war.
   The so-called March 14th coalition, which is supported by the West,
   Saudi Arabia and Qatar, sides with the Syrian opposition. The March 8th
   coalition, aligned with Iran, supports Syrian President Bashar
   al-Assad.
   Tensions have risen since the political and militant Shi'ite movement
   Hezbollah announced it is fighting alongside Syrian government forces.


   Nader said the the two coalitions cannot agree on much. "They never
   agreed on forming a new government. They never agreed on unified
   foreign policy, they only agree to extend their power. The major driver
   for security in a diversified country like ours is... a solidified
   political agreement. So they were pretexting the security situation but
   they are the responsible of the security situation. I mean this was so
   paradoxical."
   Outside the parliament building in downtown Beirut, protesters threw
   tomatoes at the lawmakers' cars and carried coffins symbolizing the
   burial of democracy.

   Following the vote, lawmakers said they want to take advantage of the
   additional time to work on reaching an electoral law that would provide
   fair representation.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/lebanon-parliament-postpones-election
   s/1673080.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/lebanon-parliament-postpones-elections/1673080.html