Introduction to the evening news 10-01-2013

At Casino du Liban, a play is being shown under the title: "We present you a nation", which tells the story of Patriarch Elias al-Hwayek and the establishment of the State of Greater Lebanon. However, another play takes place at al-Nejmeh Square, and its events revolve around the electoral law and the descendants of the Patriarch al-Hwayek.            

At the beginning, everybody thought that the Orthodox Gathering's draft law will not be taken seriously, since the sharp sectarian polarization overshadowing the country for years, is not the appropriate political moment to return to confessional loyalties and let them take precedence over any other affiliation. Moreover, the Arab Spring which planted the seeds of democracy across the region is not the appropriate regional moment to give up Lebanese democracy and exchange it with a sectarian game.        

The Arab Spring, which awakened many cases of extremism, cannot be dealt with when being trapped by concerns that only result in further extremism.               

The possible results of al-Nejmeh Square discussions remain unclear, while it is still unknown whether or not the Free Patriotic Movement will resume its participation in the meetings of the parliamentary sub-committee. On the other hand, the moment of election is certainly among the rare moments when the Lebanese citizen feels that he belongs to a nation, and yet there is someone seeking to steal away this moment.


All these developments and more in our detailed news bulletin