Hezbollah uses terror tactics at Lebanon's polling stations

As the Lebanese population went to the polls on May 15, several observers noted a significant number of violations of the electoral law, potentially affecting the accuracy and respect of the legislative elections.

Ayman Mhanna, director of the freedom of democracy organization Samir Kassir Foundation, tracked the use of electoral armies by traditional parties such as Hezbollah, the Lebanese Forces, and the Free Patriotic Movement to influence the elections in their favor.

In the largest city of Sour, where yellow and green flags affiliated with the two Shiite parties Hezbollah and Amal dominate the streets.

It’s claimed that Hezbollah delegates were placing ballots in envelopes at a polling station in the Hermel sub-district of Bekaa III after the closure of polling stations.

On Election Day, the members of the various monitoring missions have suffered from a culture of intimidation. The assaults that broke out in the town of Sarafand when supporters affiliated with the political party Amal, according to witnesses there, beat up candidates who wanted to announce the electoral list "Together for Change."

Mistrust and discontent toward Hezbollah have become more collective and widespread given the group’s habit of paralyzing state institutions. Even within Hezbollah’s main Shia constituency, voices of discontent are growing louder and more numerous.

Despite the group’s many efforts to silence these voices, the economy has collapsed to the point where more people are struggling to meet their basic needs, including in Shia communities. Hezbollah can no longer provide an alternative source of goods and services to many of these communities, apart from a very small circle of elite members and military personnel.

Given these complications, Hezbollah cannot guarantee another majority win. Yet the group cannot afford to lose its unrestricted political power.

With the collapse of public institutions, political groups such as Hezbullah offer services to the population in exchange for their electoral support. Unlike in 2018, when vote-buying was using cash, the traditional political parties now provide medicines, food, and other necessities.

The elections also come as Lebanon is wrestling with a financial downturn, caused by decades of corruption and mismanagement, and a crashing currency that has lost more than 90 percent of its value since 2019, putting more than half of the 6 million Lebanese population below the poverty line and causing prices of food, supplies and basic commodities to skyrocket.