Lebanese View Political Parties as Corrupt Ahead of National Elections

By Meredith Lee-Clark
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BEIRUT, Lebanon – A report released on June 3 by Transparency International, an anti-corruption group, has found that 36% of Lebanese view domestic political parties as the most corrupt organizations in the country.  The report was released ahead of Lebanon’s national elections scheduled to take place on June 7.  The report also stated that 29% of Lebanese perceive civil servants as the most corrupt element in Lebanon, with repercussions on the upcoming elections.

Some young Lebanese voters plan to accept bribes from competing political parties, waiting until the day of the election to accept such bribes, when the prices are at their highest.  Ghassan, a 31-year old man from Beirut, said that he and his friends will certainly vote for the party that pays them the most.  “We will wait until the last two hours,” said Ghassan, “This is when our votes will be purchased as if we were in an auction…People are saying at the last hour on voting day, each vote would be worth as much as $1,000.”

Some Lebanese voters hope that this election will be different, turning to Ziad Baroud, the country’s interior minister, who has made it a personal mission to fight corruption in the Lebanese government.  Baroud will also be supported by an international monitoring team, led by former-U.S. president Jimmy Carter.  Others, including Ghassan, are more skeptical:  “This country will need at least 10 Ziad Baroud’s [sic] to fight the corruption.”  Baroud has battled such practices such as vote buying, fake identification cards, free flights for expatriates back to Lebanon, and ballot boxes that go missing.

Lebanon has struggled with corruption for at least thirty years.  During Syria’s long military occupation, the weak Lebanese government struggled to maintain autonomy and neglected enforcement of anti-corruption regulations.  During the Lebanese civil war, the sale of fake IDs and documents was rampant, as many Lebanese tried to conceal their religion and protect against being killed.  While the Lebanese press has often reported on instances of corruption in recent years, such reports rarely spark a judicial inquiry.

For more information, please see:

The Daily Star – Political Parties Seen as Most Corrupt Groups in Country – 4 June 2009

The National – Buying Votes Just a Part of the Price of Democracy – 4 June 2009

IPS – Legal Flaws Could Twist Election Result – 1 June 2009

Lebanese Transparency Association – The Civil Campaign for Electoral Reforms – 2007

Global Integrity Report – Lebanon:  Reporter’s Notebook – 2007

Author: Impunity Watch Archive