BEIRUT: Lebanon's deputy Parliament speaker will not be running for parliamentary elections set for November, An-Nahar newspaper reported Sunday, as the number of registered nominees tops 162 for a election that looks increasingly likely to be postponed.
Deputy Speaker Farid Makari, who hails from the North Lebanon area of Koura, said that no one from his family would be running for election.
However, Makari stressed that his refusal to participate did not reflect on his commitment to Future Movement leader Saad Hariri, pledging to endorse any March 14 nomination list in his local constituency.
The deputy speaker also expressed doubts over whether the elections would even be held.
With the feasibility of the elections already in doubt over the presidential vacuum, Machnouk told reporters Sunday in Doha, where he is participating in a delegation seeking Qatari help with Lebanon's hostage crisis, that he had informed the Cabinet of significant obstacles to the polls.
The minister said the security services had pointed out several road blocks to successful elections, including the difficulty of placing ballot boxes in areas witnessing security incidents and the inability of the Interior Ministry to provide a safe atmosphere for candidates to launch election campaigns.
Despite the questions over the likelihood of holding the polls, Machnouk opened up the nomination process last month, with candidates having until the end of Sept. 16 to file for the election.
So far, Speaker Nabih Berri’s Development and Liberation bloc and Michel Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement have submitted their candidate lists. Saad Hariri’s Future Bloc is set to announce its nominations Monday.
Walid Jumblatt’s Democratic Gathering and Hezbollah’s Loyalty to the Resistance bloc are expected to keep their current lawmakers, without any changes.
The Lebanese Forces however, is expected to submit a number of nominations that exceeds the party’s current parliamentary seats.
Earlier this week, 33 women filed their candidacies as well.
Parliament extended its term for 17 months in May 2013, citing the deteriorating security situation, but many viewed the failure of political factions to agree on a new election law as the primary obstacle.
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