Druze leader Walid Jumblatt: We are waging a political battle against Hezbollah in May elections

BEIRUT / CHOUF, Lebanon — The head of the Progressive Socialist Party in Lebanon, Walid Jumblatt, stated in an interview with Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Qabas that his party is waging a political battle against Hezbollah in the May 2022 elections — elections that, according to Jumblatt, can never be fair because of the political hegemony of Hezbollah and the military power of the militia over the country. The Druze leader also accused Syria and Iran of playing a key role in the battle being waged against Lebanon.

This unfair balance of power creates an unequal playing field in the elections, said Jumblatt, “but in the end, we are waging a political battle” and hope that our political vote will have a balanced presence in Parliament. Then we can tell Hezbollah, Syria, and Iran that things cannot be managed this way, he added.

According to Jumblatt, Syria is playing an undesirable but important role in the parliamentary election campaign and over the office of the presidency, either through direct interference or through its ally Iran. He elaborated, calling the presidency a, “tool in the hands of the Syrians and Iranians”.

His criticism of incumbent President Michel Aoun has been harsh “for his disastrous performance”, saying that it has “only led to disaster”. The next president should be a Lebanese president, said Jumblatt, not a Syrian or Iranian puppet.

The Progressive Socialist Party holds six seats in the Lebanese parliament, led by Walid Jumblatt’s son Taymour Jumblatt. The party has one minister in the Mikati government.