However, one of the main weapons that seem to be intensively used this year is the electoral money…
According to the US daily New York Times, the parliamentary elections are shaping up to be among the most expensive ever held anywhere, with hundreds of millions of dollars streaming into this small country from around the globe.
An article published in the American daily on Thursday emphasized that Lebanon has long been seen as a battleground for regional influence, and now, with no more foreign armies on the ground, Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region are arming their allies with campaign money in place of weapons. "The result is a race that is widely seen as the freest and most competitive to be held here in decades, with a record number of candidates taking part," the article read, adding that "it may also be the most corrupt."
The New York Times explained the whole process. "Votes are being bought with cash or in-kind services. Candidates pay their competitors huge sums to withdraw. The price of favorable TV news coverage is rising, and thousands of expatriate Lebanese are being flown home, free, to vote in contested districts. The payments, according to voters, election monitors and various past and current candidates interviewed for this article, nurture a deep popular cynicism about politics in Lebanon, which is nominally perhaps the most democratic Arab state but in practice is largely governed through patronage and sectarian and clan loyalty."
"We are putting a lot into this," the NY Times quoted one adviser to the Saudi government as saying. The Saudi official added that the Saudi contribution was likely to reach hundreds of millions of dollars in a country of only four million people. "We're supporting candidates running against Hezbollah, and we're going to make Iran feel the pressure."
Moreover, the daily noted that the head of the Future Movement MP Saad Hariri, described as the billionaire leader of the current parliamentary majority and a Saudi ally, is reputed to be the biggest election spender. Yet, the daily admitted that candidates and political parties generally will not admit to receiving money from abroad.