Naharnet Newsdesk - Karami Accepts U.S. ex-President Jimmy Carter to Monitor Lebanon's Elections
The May 2005 elections in Lebanon were originally scheduled for last summer. At that point the delay was rationalized as necessary to avoid undermining a banner tourism year. A more cynical interpretation, which I share, is that the elections were canned in order to facilitate the extenision of the term of Emile Lahoud. Syria and its Lebanese allies feared that the next parliament might be less malleable, given the rising tide of anti-Syrian sentiment.
With the respected Carter Center monitoring the May 2005 elections there is still plenty of scope of mischief, particularly in the drawing of electoral districts, but it a positive development nonetheless. Also, it makes it just a bit more difficult for the elections to be postponed a second time, but that remains a non-trivial possibility.
Nonetheless, Omar Karami tapped by Emile Lahoud to continue as prime minister, has hinted repeatedly that that the elections may be postponed. In reply, UN emissary Terje Larsen has underlined that that would be a bad idea.
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