Civil society voters remain discreet in Tripoli

Chloe Domat in Tripoli reports that two civil society lists are facing off against the big four Sunni leaders’ lists in northern Lebanon.

Unlike their competitors, they don’t have the means to pay bribes or even put up posters, but they firmly believe there needs to be a change. 

"I am about to go abroad to find a job, but I still have a little bit of hope for this country, some hope that change can be real," Samir, a 22-year-old student who supports Kollouna Watani, a civil society coalition who presented lists in nine of Lebanon’s 15 electoral districts, told MEE.

Samir and the other supporters of civil society lists want to remain discreet. In one polling station, a woman who wished to remain anonymous told MEE that she agreed to be a delegate for one of the big candidates, who offered her $200 - but she actually voted for the civil society candidates. 

"There needs to be some change. The same politicians and their sons have been mocking us for tens of years, what good did they bring? We need new faces," she said. 

Read more about how civil society groups are attempting to challenge the status quo politics of Lebanon.