BEIRUT - Many of the young people preparing to vote in Lebanon's elections feel cheated by politicians' promises of change in the heady days of protest after former premier Rafiq Hariri's assassination. Feeling "wooed, used and abused", Lebanon's young voters, who need to be at least 21, fear the four-stage polls starting on May 29 will be a farce. Some say they will cast a blank vote or not bother to take part. "Honestly, I am disgusted. It is as if I am watching a play and the actors remove their masks. Our politicians are running after their own interests, ignoring our dreams and ambitions," said 23-year-old Cosette Salibi.| Never trust anyone over 30, Cosette. |
Haggling over election boundaries fractured the opposition, reviving tensions and threatening the delicate coexistence among Lebanon's Christian and Muslim communities. "History is repeating itself," said Marie-Therese Ghiyeh, 24.
A survey conducted by the weekly student newspaper of the American University of Beirut (AUB) a few weeks after Hariri's assassination, showed mitigated support for the opposition. Out of 600 students polled, 37 percent said they did not trust the opposition while 44 percent said they did. "Thirty-seven percent is more than one third of the student body. And one third is a lot, so the opposition cannot ignore it," said staff writer Lynn Zovighian, 18. Like many youths in Beirut, she firmly believes Lebanon "lacks a sense of direction" and that the opposition has failed to come up with a concrete platform because they speak in too many tongues. "I don't trust them any more," added Rouba Maarawi, 21. During a group chat with soon-to-be graduates at the Lebanese University's faculty of human sciences, students laid down their demands. "We want democracy, honesty, rule of law, and real independence this time," one said.
| And instead you're getting Wally, Mike, Knobby, and, of course, Hezbollah. |