Carter satisfied process was fair

Former President Jimmy Carter and his team of observers in Lebanon are hopeful after parliamentary elections Sunday.

“I think the will of the people was done,” Carter said by phone Monday.

The acquiescence of the losing side to the results is a good sign that everyone believes the election was fair, he said.

A coalition deemed friendly toward Western powers and Saudi Arabia held onto a majority of seats. The other coalition, dominated by the Hezbollah party, was backed by Iran and Syria.

This was the 76th election monitored by the Carter Center.

“And I think this was one of the better ones,” he said.

There were some anomalies that he will suggest be corrected. Lebanese who live in another country can still show up to vote. Planeloads of citizens were being flown in by foreign money, trying to sway the election one way or another, Carter said. “But I think they largely canceled each other out,” he said.

Lebanon is a country under tension. A 15-year civil war ended in 1990, but it has served as a political game board for neighboring and foreign powers.

Locally, multiple political parties tied to religious, ethnic and clan identities share and maneuver for power, and there is always fear of another round of violence.

“I think there was a general sense of unease that there could be violence or problems on election day,” said David Carroll, the Carter Center’s director of Democracy Programs.

“But on election day, things were very harmonious, and the election came off generally peaceful.

“On the other hand,” Carroll added, “the old power rivalries are still there under the surface.

“This was an important step to bring some stability for the near term. But it certainly doesn’t solve all their problems,” he said.