Lebanese lawyers rise up against the “quartet list”: There is no guardianship over our votes

Beirut – “Lebanon Debate”

Today, Sunday, the Beirut Bar Association is participating in an electoral contest that is not limited to the traditional competition to occupy four seats in the Bar Council, but has turned into a test station for the extent of the independence of the Bar Association’s decision in the face of prior partisan understandings.

This entitlement comes against the backdrop of the formation of a four-member list that includes: Riad Al-Shediac, Elie Kazan, Maya Shehab, and Elie Klimos. This list received direct support from the “Lebanese Forces,” “Lebanese Phalange,” and “Future Movement” parties, in addition to union figures. This alliance has raised widespread objections because it represents an attempt to impose a unified choice on the electorate, as if political consensus alone is sufficient to guarantee the commitment of lawyers.

In this context, the electoral atmosphere confirms that lawyers are not a directable voting bloc, nor the property of political forces, as every voter has the right to choose the most worthy of his competence and independence, regardless of quota calculations. On the other hand, the presence of independent candidates outside the party cloak stands out, forming an alternative option for those who reject what they described as “disguised appointment,” which gives the elections dimensions that go beyond the mere distribution of seats in favor of restoring union decision-making.

The irony is that the Bar Association, which has always been at the forefront of defending the independence of the judiciary and rejecting political interference, is today facing an attempt to replicate the same practices that it has long criticized in state institutions.

Observers believe that the party-backed list may face adverse results, as this broad alliance may turn into a mobilizing catalyst for independent candidates, especially among those who reject the logic of imposing names wholesale. While the right of parties to support candidates is not denied, there is a categorical refusal to turn this support into guardianship that nullifies professional and personal conviction.

Therefore, the real test today is not only measured by the ability of political forces to mobilize votes for their list, but also by the size of the objections that will be reflected in the ballot boxes, and the ability of independents to violate ready-made consensuses, so that lawyers prove that their union is not a space for quotas, and that their decisions are made exclusively in the ballot box and not behind closed doors.