Injustice at Gibran Khalil Gibran National Committee Elections: Kamel Rahma List’s Legal Battle

On the twenty-seventh of last May, which is the last day of the legal deadline for submitting candidacy applications for the elections of the Gibran Khalil Gibran National Committee in Bsharri, a group of independent young women and men in the city submitted their candidacy applications to run in the elections under the name “Kamel Rahma List” after Gibran’s mother and as an expression of their Their appreciation for her and their love for her son and their concern for his idea and legacy.

After a long day of obstacles and pitfalls that Professor Joseph Fenianos, the current chairman of the committee, tried to put in the face of male and female candidates, all nomination requests were finally accepted in return for receipts of the nomination declaration, pursuant to the internal system of the committee. Thus, the competition has been confined between the independent “Kamila Rahma” list and the “Towards the Second Centennial – Let Gibran” list, which is a complete list for the Lebanese Forces that was announced by Representative Strida Geagea from her headquarters in Maarab, weeks before any official announcement was made by the committee. About the dates and deadlines for the elections.

The surprise was heavy on the “Kamila Rahma” list the next day when letters from Professor Joseph Fenianos arrived to four of its members via the “WhatsApp” application, informing them that their candidacy applications had been rejected. Thus, the list lost its legality, which the system requires that it include at least eight members, as Mr. Fenianos left only 7 accepted nomination applications. Thus, the chairman of the committee, who is close to Mrs. Strida Geagea, has completely cleared the arena before recommending the “Lebanese Forces” list.

With their exposure to injustice and being prevented from contesting a cultural and democratic entitlement, young men and women of the “Kamela Rahma” list decided to confront the law of the jungle with the legitimacy of the law, and filed an appeal against the decision to nullify the candidacies of their colleagues and their list before the Third Primary Chamber in the North, out of their concern for democratic life and protection of the right of all human daughters and sons By running and participating in all local and national democratic events.

On the 9th of June, the President of the Third Primary Chamber in the North, Judge Andari, issued a judicial decision requiring the suspension of the implementation of the decision taken by the administrative body of the Gibran National Committee on 5-27-2023 in terms of the invalidation of the aforementioned nominations. The judge’s decision also requires the suspension of the elections, which are scheduled to take place on 11-6-2023, until the dispute is resolved.

After a full day of back-and-forth between the legal proceedings and the head of the committee, Professor Joseph Fenianos, the latter succeeded in escaping from notifying the judicial decision personally. And after the present employee refused to receive the notification, this was pasted in the Gibran Museum, which is the headquarters officially approved by the committee in everything related to its elections.

The chairman of the committee also smuggled a decision that requires announcing the victory of the “Towards the Second Centenary” list – so that Gibran will remain by acclamation, in contravention of a judicial decision.

Will the law of the jungle prevail at the expense of the legitimacy of the law, or will a voice not rise above the judge’s hammer?