The VIP elite and the “$250 buddies”: Behind the scenes of the class and political division

The Lebanese Forces Party is preparing to organize a special party dinner in the Chouf District in Maarab, on November 27th. However, the high price of participation tickets, which amounts to $250 per person, reaching $2,500 per table, raised critical questions about the nature of the event and its target groups.

This material disparity raises problems related to whether the meeting will bring together all supporters or will it be limited to the elite who are able to pay, allowing them to sit close to party leader Samir Geagea and his wife, while those who are unable are content to follow the evening through pictures. The report also highlights the contradiction between this high cost and the difficult living reality in which citizens in the Chouf suffer from medical and education crises and high bills.

In light of this atmosphere, legitimate questions arise about the purpose of the dinner, whether it is dedicated to collecting donations – which requires transparency in announcing the destination of the money – in addition to the gap that these events may create between the partisan discourse defending citizens and the reality of limiting participation to the financially capable class.