Less than a week after the Oct. 26 Tunisian elections, which ignited hopes of the possibility of achieving democracy in the Arab world, the postponement of Lebanese elections emerged as a first democratic relapse. On Nov. 5, the parliament extended its own term, putting an end to the imminent democratic elections that were scheduled for Nov. 20, postponing them for two years and seven months. Ironically, the decision was passed under the umbrella of a law titled “the extension law,” which, in itself, constitutes a contradiction and violation of constitutional rules and democratic mechanisms.
It is not the first time this parliament has extended its term; it was previously done on May 31, 2013, under the pretext of not reaching consensus on the electoral law. At the time, elections were postponed for 17 months.
Unfortunately, this has become a rule. The first extension set a precedent and for the same reason: a lack of consensus and the failure to abide by institutional mechanisms and rules to settle internal conflicts. The excuse for the first extension was a failure to come to an agreement over an electoral law that would tackle the dysfunction at the level of Christian representation. The excuse used for the second extension, as proposed by the March 14 coalition, was the impossibility of holding elections amid a presidential vacuum. The latter was the result of the March 8 camp's boycotting the presidential election sessions on April 30; May 7, 15 and 22; June 9 and 18; July 2 and 23; Sept. 2 and 23; Oct. 9; and again Oct. 29. As such, the boycott by one party was countered by an extension request from the other.
The surprise came when the extension deal was sealed between the two main Muslim actors — the Future Movement, the main representative of Sunnis, and Hezbollah, the main representative of Shiites — despite the wide rift between them and the fierce Sunni-Shiite conflict that extends from Iraq to Lebanon. The question to be raised is, what drove Hezbollah to move forward with the extension despite the refusal of its Christian ally Michel Aoun? Is it a mere temporary convergence imposed by necessity, or is it an introduction to a bigger agreement on the regional scene, which some fear will be struck at the expense of Christians?
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