BEIRUT // Despite all the rallies, posters and campaign intrigue in the lead up to last Sunday's critical parliamentary elections, for the most part, the Lebanese have little love or trust for their elected officials.
In the words of one independent voter, Sunday's polling was "a choice between Aids and cancer".
But despite all the cynicism and political bad blood between rival camps in the campaign, many Lebanese seem to agree that the man who ran the election process, the interior minister, Ziad Baroud, can be trusted, an accomplishment in a country that rarely finds consensus on its leaders.
Even as it became clear that the western-back government coalition would hold on to power despite a strong challenge by the Shiite militant group Hizbollah, the credibility of the polling became the most important issue.
But on Monday evening, before detailing a litany of complaints about his opponents, the Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah gave a firm endorsement of the election process managed by Mr Baroud.
"I seize the moment to thank the ministries and the public administrations, the Lebanese army and the security forces, for the handling of the electoral process and for preserving security and stability," Mr Nasrallah said.
"These administrations were in front of a major challenge of holding general elections on a single day.
"Despite some flaws, the challenge was faced with responsibility. I congratulate the winners who have to know that they have just taken the responsibility of the people. We accept the announced results by the interior minister."
Named interior minister, Mr Baroud entered Lebanese politics two years ago not as an insider, but as an idealistic civil society lawyer with a sterling reputation for political neutrality.
In more than a dozen interviews, not a single person in Lebanon's often vicious political scene had even a hint of criticism of his performance.
"Ziad's reputation was built on his openness to all parties and all media," said Omar Nashabe, a close friend and adviser to the minister on human rights and prisons.
"He published articles in many different papers [reflecting all political camps] and appeared on both pro-government and pro-opposition television stations and in newspapers. He had no plan to reach power, he only was interested in protecting basic human rights. But the chaos surrounding Lebanon reached its climax as he developed more of a reputation for fairness, so the president selected him to help the country at this time."
What is more, Mr Baroud has 10,700-plus fans on Facebook, an achievement for anyone let alone a Lebanese politician.
As interior minister, Mr Baroud had the unenviable task of managing Lebanon's notoriously crooked electoral system, while also maintaining security and safety at the polling stations as the country voted nationwide on a single day, unlike in 2005 when elections were held over the course of four weeks to enable the security forces to protect voters.
With no such help this time around, many Lebanese feared that violence could mar the voting, that corruption would prevent the results from being seen as legitimate and that parties would engage in widespread vote-buying and rigging.
But despite reports throughout the country of some illegal activity, Mr Baroud's calm demeanour and steady adherence to the established rules gave voters tremendous confidence, making him perhaps more popular than any of the candidates on the ballot.
"He is a hero, and I never thought we would ever have such a minister," said Mariam Shatila, 28, a university student.
"I wish he had run in the elections, I would have voted for him. I did not vote this time because after seeing Ziad's performance, none of the candidates can convince me, none of them is even close to the person Baroud is."
And with widespread fears of election violence, the general sense of competence and security impressed even the most nationalist of voters.
"I'm so impressed of the level of security the country was under, and this time we did not need the Syrians to keep us from killing each other," said Sami Yaakoub, 33, a business manager.
Mr Nashabe said this popularity stemmed from the clear sense that Mr Baroud works hard to stay out of the morass of Lebanese political patronage, as he refuses to even run for parliament for fear of being labelled as a supporter of one side or another.
"Lebanon cannot be ruled by one group, this he knows," Mr Nashabe said. "He prefers to look at it like this: The best way to work to improve the human rights conditions in Lebanon is by not siding with one grouping in this tense atmosphere. As a Christian, he has to deal with some of the biggest splits in Lebanese politics but he has refused to get involved in these matters as well."
Mr Baroud refused an interview for this story, as he has refused others that did not deal directly with the election process and security. It is unclear if he will continue in his role as a minister, or will return to his law practice in the areas of human rights and civil society institutions.
mprothero@thenational.ae
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
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Available: Now
if you go
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
AS%20WE%20EXIST
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Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
ICC men's cricketer of the year
2004 - Rahul Dravid (IND) ; 2005 - Jacques Kallis (SA) and Andrew Flintoff (ENG); 2006 - Ricky Ponting (AUS); 2007 - Ricky Ponting; 2008 - Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI); 2009 - Mitchell Johnson (AUS); 2010 - Sachin Tendulkar (IND); 2011 - Jonathan Trott (ENG); 2012 - Kumar Sangakkara (SL); 2013 - Michael Clarke (AUS); 2014 - Mitchell Johnson; 2015 - Steve Smith (AUS); 2016 - Ravichandran Ashwin (IND); 2017 - Virat Kohli (IND); 2018 - Virat Kohli; 2019 - Ben Stokes (ENG); 2021 - Shaheen Afridi
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE results
Lost to Oman by eight runs
Beat Namibia by three wickets
Lost to Oman by 12 runs
Beat Namibia by 43 runs
UAE fixtures
Free admission. All fixtures broadcast live on icc.tv
Tuesday March 15, v PNG at Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Friday March 18, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
Saturday March 19, v PNG at Dubai International Stadium
Monday March 21, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
China and the UAE agree comprehensive strategic partnership
China and the UAE forged even closer links between the two countries during the landmark state visit after finalising a ten-point agreement on a range of issues, from international affairs to the economy and trade and renewable energy.
1. Politics: The two countries agreed to support each other on issues of security and to work together on regional and international challenges. The nations also confirmed that the number of high-level state visits between China and the UAE will increase.
2. Economy: The UAE offers its full support to China's Belt and Road Initiative, which will combine a land 'economic belt" and a "maritime silk road" that will link China with the Arabian Gulf as well as Southeast, South and Central China, North Africa and, eventually, Europe.
3. Business and innovation: The two nations are committed to exploring new partnerships in sectors such as Artificial Intelligence, energy, the aviation and transport industries and have vowed to build economic co-operation through the UAE-China Business Committee.
4. Education, science and technology: The Partnership Programme between Arab countries in Science and Technology will encourage young Emirati scientists to conduct research in China, while the nations will work together on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, renewable energy and space projects.
5. Renewable energy and water: The two countries will partner to develop renewable energy schemes and work to reduce climate change. The nations have also reiterated their support for the Abu Dhabi-based International Renewable Energy Agency.
6. Oil and gas: The UAE and China will work in partnership in the crude oil trade and the exploration and development of oil and natural gas resources.
7. Military and law enforcement and security fields: Joint training will take place between the Chinese and UAE armed forces, while the two nations will step up efforts to combat terrorism and organised crime.
8. Culture and humanitarian issues: Joint cultural projects will be developed and partnerships will be cultivated on the preservation of heritage, contemporary art and tourism.
9. Movement between countries: China and the UAE made clear their intent to encourage travel between the countries through a wide-ranging visa waiver agreement.
10. Implementing the strategic partnership: The Intergovernmental Co-operation Committee, established last year, will be used to ensure the objectives of the partnership are implemented.