D-2 before the Lebanese general elections, Sunday May 15. Nearly four million voters are called to the polls to renew Parliament. But the ballot could be marred by fraud. Many candidates would take advantage of the context of generalized poverty to buy voters’ votes.
With our correspondent in Beirut, Noah Pignede
In a country undermined by corruption, NGOs are sounding the alarm: according to the Lebanese Association for Election Democracy, clientelism and vote buying are on the rise at the dawn of the legislative elections.
The man we met is what is called, in Lebanon, a “ electoral key “. He works for a candidate and tries by all means to convince voters to vote for his boss. But when asked if he buys votes, he replies: No, we help people, we don’t buy votes “. Is it just the word that changes? “ Yes ! »
In a Lebanon which now has 80% of poor people, the desperate voters are very numerous, according to our interlocutor – whose voice has been modified in the audio version of this article to protect his anonymity –, to want to sell their vote. “ There are people who love money. There are people, the children are in school, they cannot pay for school. There are people who cannot eat. They want to vote with you, but they need this, this, this. I help them. A hundred dollars each, to help you a little. »
” It’s easy to buy, but it’s expensive »
This intermediary also recounts having paid hospitalization costs, refueling, or even shopping baskets to future voters of his boss. And even if he refuses to give a sum, he claims to have a very substantial budget: “ There is money, now, more than in Switzerland ! It’s easy to buy, but it’s expensive. »
The more voters he manages to gather, the bigger his commission will be. So he does the math: between 300 and 350 people that he knows for sure they will vote. They will then go to his house to collect their due.
Bidding continues to rise. This man assures him: on election day, some citizens will sell their votes for up to 500 dollars. A sum that, according to him, many candidates will be ready to pay.
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