Sayyed Nasrallah’s Full Speech Addressing the Lebanese Electoral Process
Local Editor
Hezbollah's Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah Addresses Electoral Process in a Speech Delivered via Satellite on Monday Afternoon 7-5-2018.
I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan. In the name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and prayers and peace be upon our Master and Prophet, Muhammad the Seal of the Prophets, his good and pure family, all his good and chosen companions and all the prophets and messengers.
Peace and God's mercy and blessings be upon you.
I want to talk about the elections and the results.
I usually divide the address. I have 3 sections, which are as follows:
1 - An illustration of the reality at the level of the results and some indications - a quick and preliminary reading.
2 - A call for what is coming and what is required.
3 - Expressing gratitude and appreciation to all those who were really the people of loyalty.
First, holding the elections is a national achievement following nine years without elections and after Parliament extended its term on more than one occasion. The Lebanese Parliament did not opt for another extension but headed towards new elections. Regardless of the law, details and some flaws, the election was held. I want to see the more positive side of things. It is a great national achievement for Lebanon. If we wanted to be fairer, this achievement should be attributed to His Excellency President Michel Aoun because during his swearing-in speech he said we wanted to hold the elections.
It is an achievement for the current Lebanese government, all the political forces and all the Lebanese people who cooperated to hold the elections and contributed to its success. In many countries of the world, as a result of opposition to the law, there would be calls for a boycott. But in Lebanon, thank God, we did not witness calls for a boycott. There was a national consensus to hold the elections. This is the first positive and excellent point we should ponder on as Lebanese.
Second - the law itself - the law based on proportional representation, provided many political forces, figures and groups a great opportunity to participate and be represented. Judging by the electoral campaigns, we believe that those who were disturbed by the law and any detail in it were the ones attacking it.
This law must be built on. No one is denying the existence of some flaws in the law that must be revised. There may be some fundamental problems, such as the issue of the districts. We have always said that Lebanon is one electoral district. In any case, it is the right of the Parliament and the government to study, amend or reconsider some things. But from now on, we say that we cannot back track and return to any form of the majority law. The representation in the proportional law is undoubtedly the fairest and best. It provides real opportunities.
I want to point out an important thing. During the elections, there was talk that the aim of this law or this election is to exclude a certain party. Respectfully, we cannot say that the objective is to exclude us. The objective is not to exclude anyone because there is no possibility of exclusion in the law based on proportional representation. In the majority law there was a possibility for exclusion. Yes, there is a certain problem with the distribution of the districts and some other details.
We are saying that when it comes to the proportional representation law candidates take on their natural size. But because of other points in the law, it is possible that some might take more than their normal size or slightly lower.
The possibility of being excluded under the proportional representation law is unlikely. Therefore, I do not think that there are political forces, which were competing in the elections that wanted to exclude someone who has a real and actual base.
Thirdly, one of the positive points is the security situation. We want to discuss the region as a whole and the tensions in it. We want to tackle the third world, sometimes even the so-called West. Usually during elections in the third world a lot of problems arise.
The security situation was very good. The Lebanese state was able to hold the elections in all districts. Usually in Lebanon, elections were held weekly for each directorate. This election was held in one day. It is a great achievement for the state, the army and the security apparatus. There were some mistakes and flaws that must be evaluated and addressed. But this should not affect the overall picture.
The security situation during the electoral campaign as well as on Election Day was good. It was assumed that many figures in Lebanon would be targeted and some were behaving as if they were targets. This posed a great deal of political embarrassment and a kind of incitement that some Arab media were taking part in. It turned out that there was no such thing. People were able to move from one village to another, in cities and neighborhoods. It is worth noting that there is more than one figure who claimed that they could not move throughout the country because the security situation is dangerous. Of course this danger exists. But experience has proved that the security situation was excellent and many figures were able to move and meet with people. They were able to tour half the country in one day. This is a testament to the security situation in the country.
The only person who does not have the possibility to move among people due to the "Israeli" factor is this poor slave [referring to His Eminence]. But in general, even those who fall into a certain danger zone were able to move with additional security measures. This is an important positive point we must ponder on, preserve and hold on to as Lebanese and residents in Lebanon.
There are "two unknown blessings: health and safety". The safety that Lebanon enjoys is a great divine blessing. We, as Lebanese, through our behavior, our performance and our speech can preserve it or lose it. It is also a great responsibility that we must preserve.
The fourth point: Since the beginning of the elections, there was a focus on two major topics whether in my speeches or in the speeches of Parliament Speaker Berri:
The first topic is why do we need a sizeable presence in parliament obtained through the parliamentary election?
The first reason is the political protection of the resistance and the Army-People-Resistance Equation. This requires strength in the Parliament and a presence in the government and state institutions in general.
Secondly, a strong and balanced parliamentary bloc makes it possible to work on achieving the declared electoral programs, including financial reform, administrative reform, economic and livelihood issues and state building, as well as all the topics we previously talked about.
The preliminary results announced by the electoral machines are now being circulated throughout Lebanon. We are waiting for the official results because there are some boxes and polling stations for expatriates and administrators in some areas where ballots are still being counted. There might be some adjustments. I do not want to pre-empt the official results. Ultimately, based on the overall results, we can say that what we were aspiring for in the campaigns starting from the beginning of the elections, the nominations, the electoral campaigns, the alliances, until the day of the elections and the results, has been achieved and accomplished. Today with the help of God Almighty and the blessing of the people loyalty, we can say yes.
Of course with the help of God Almighty and the blessing of the people of loyalty, today we can tell you about what I have been trying to talk about and emphasize. Today, we can speak with a very high degree of certainty and reassurance that the parliamentary presence that came from these elections - if we are speaking about the forces of the resistance, its allies and friends - and the composition of the new parliament form a guarantee and a great strength to protect this strategic choice and the golden equation of the Army- People-Resistance. Under the current circumstances and situation in the region as well as the existing balance of power and the developments, we believe that it [the resistance] is the only one that ensures the protection of the country. Soon, we will return to the issue of oil, gas and maritime borders. There is information asserting that the "Israelis" have threatened to start building a wall on some Lebanese territory that we believe is Lebanese land - the United Nations deals with it as disputed. In the end, this equation can protect the country under these circumstances.
The current parliament, yes, I can say that it exists as it did in the past. But now it is firmer and stronger. There is a significant parliamentary presence. It is balanced and real. Now I do not want to talk about majorities and the likes. I am not talking about the Lebanese details, but this particular point. Yes, this can be a strong protection for this strategic option. We believe that a large part of our supporters were motivated to go to the ballot boxes. I will talk about this turnout, its background, and this fact in a while.
This large parliamentary presence, God willing, if it worked seriously, responsibly and sincerely can help to achieve the highlights of the electoral programs that were put forward during the electoral campaigns.
On this point we regard that the resistance option achieved a great political, ideological and moral victory for its supporters, environment, and this strategic option, this option that protects the country's sovereignty and fortifies the country. This has been achieved, thank God, through these elections.
The fifth point. If we delve into more precise details, this will be the last point in the first section.
I am not saying that there can be exclusion. I repeat that in the law based on proportional representation even if the entire world wanted to exclude us, it will not be able to. If we had a certain popular presence, we will remain.
No one can exclude anyone. But the targeting here has nothing to do with exclusion. It has to do with the great battle that is being waged against us as part of the axis of resistance and being fought in the region.
Through out previous years, we, Hezbollah, were pressured. This includes accusations, rumors, smear campaigns, attempting to convince people that these are mafias, criminal gangs, drug traffickers, a global network of drug dealers and car thieves, money launderers, and anything that the Americans and others say. I will talk about the allies later. Of course, the Arab media, especially the Gulf, which was accompanied by some local media, took these accusations at face value. ‘The Americans said these. If the Americans said these, then it must be true.' The distortion of the image was worked on with vigor.
[This includes] the issue of sanctions, the penal code and the procedures that have been carried out in Lebanon regarding the subject of banks or abroad by targeting Lebanese traders who were accused of providing financial support to the resistance or sympathizing with the resistance. The pressure continues through the preparation for new penal laws including security and political targeting, the vicious campaign, social and economic pressure, especially pressure on the expatriates who send money to Lebanon.
There is also pressure on our allies and friends to push them away from us. But most importantly is to put pressure on the environment of resistance; to force it to disintegrate, weaken, tire, despair, give up and look for alternative options. This is the only point, the point of hope they are betting on.
I am not analyzing. Conferences were held to tackle this issue. The last of which was the deciphering of Hezbollah's code in the UAE. Foreign, Arab and Lebanese experts were invited to the conference. We have knowledge of the contents or at least the
summery. I read the summary.
Many conferences in more than one place in the world were held. Seminars were conducted by more than one foreign ministry and more than one intelligence apparatus.
This is the story of the resistance in Lebanon. Now we are talking about Lebanon. What is its solution? Some say let us strike Syria. They worked on this after 2006. Since then, they have been for it. There is also the topic of Iran and pressuring it.
But in 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1985 the resistance that was launched in Lebanon inflicted actual and major losses and introduced subsequent defeats later. It had very modest capabilities. But great capabilities are not a condition required by the resistance to endure. Ultimately, if there is a will to resist, the resistance will remain because it is a popular resistance; because it is the will of the people; because it is embraced by its people or at least by its immediate environment.
Therefore, the whole focus became holding studies, conferences and discussions on how to dismantle the environment of the resistance; how to let this environment doubt, suspect its leaders, and doubt its frameworks, parties, programs and figures, and their loyalty. They were accused of corruption, negligence, shortcomings and helplessness. They employed partisan differences between them. They tried to revive the regional fanaticism. They resorted to whatever they can do. This environment was targeted. They worked on this subject and spent huge amounts of money on it.
When it comes to the elections, whatever the objective was. Allow me to speak because our country is divided. On this basis, let me speak frankly. I will talk specifically about the Shiite environment, especially about the Shiite environment. What was said about one Shiite seat of the six seats in Baalbek-Hermel is equal to 127 seats in the Parliament or equals to the whole Parliament was not a slip of the tongue.
What was the subject that was being prepared? They were preparing to take one Shiite seat in Baalbek-Hermel. Allow me to use this language. It might be easier to speak about this in the Suburbs, in Beirut, in Jbeil. But when speaking about great incubators, it is different. In the Suburbs, Hezbollha and the Amal Movement can justify that they are a minority in that particular district. This also applies to Jbeil, Keserwan and Beirut where we have a presence but are a minority.
Hezbollah can explain to the world if an MP did not win a seat in Baabda, Beirut or Jbeil. But it cannot explain if it lost in Baalbek-Hermel or in the second and third districts of the South. The same applies to Zahle and the Western Bekaa.
One can say that the Shiites in Western Bekaa or Zahle are among the minorities. I am not good in speaking about minorities and majorities. But it is very clear that when you talk about Baalbek-Hermel, you are talking about an environment for the resistance. When you talk about the South, you are also talking about an environment for the resistance. It is a front for the resistance. Both are fronts for the resistance. The South is the front against the "Israeli" enemy. Baalbek-Hermel is the front against the armed and the Takfir militant groups which were employed by the Americans and the "Israelis". The American employed them in southern Syria while the "Israelis" employed them in the Golan. It provided them with weapons, supplies, and information. It treated their wounded. Its jets interfered to defend them. If all this is not relationship and cooperation, then what is?
So they decided to take one seat and specified Baalbek-Hermel. They wanted to employ the subject. In the end a seat is a seat. If we talked about the Lebanese composition, let us suppose we lost a Shiite seat in Baalbeck-Hermel or in the second or third district of the South, what is the big deal! To us it is nothing. But to them, it is totally different. From what we read in the Gulf newspapers and media as well as some Lebanese media, this was the start of the effect of the policies and programs that is targeting the environment of the resistance. They wanted to take one [Shiite] seat in order to use it politically against us. Now, we would be witnessing huge media campaigns starting from the US to the West to Saudi to some Gulf States until Lebanon. These campaigns would be claiming that the resistance environment is punishing the resistance because of its strategic choices, because of choice to fight in Syria, etc. They wanted to base a huge psychological war on this subject.
Today, I can say that this attempt was brought down. This is one of the achievements of the elections. This has nothing to do with the large numbers and the general scene at the Parliament. No, this in itself was an objective, regardless of what was being planned for Lebanon and its political structure and the composition of the Parliament and the government. It was the basic objective. It was not a secondary objective. It was the primary objective that was being worked on during the parliamentary elections, before the parliamentary elections and will be the focus of the work after the parliamentary elections.
This matter, of course, praise be to Allah, has been brought down today. No one can say anything about this matter. The targeting was in thi9s particular place. Now for example in Baalbek-Hermel, there are eight out of 10 seats. This is normal due to the law of proportional representation. During internal meetings with the brothers and sisters, I told them that this is a normal thing. I am not asking you to win all 10 seats in Baalbek-Hermel. That is not normal due to the nature of demographics and the diversity in the region as well as the political forces in the region and the law based on proportional representation. So we assumed that one and two is normal. Now I did not speak about this in the media. But in the internal meetings, we were clear with each other that the real battle is focused on the eighth seat, especially on the eighth seat if it was a Shiite seat because this will be exploited and used within the context of the targeting that I mentioned earlier.
In any case, I think this campaign was counterproductive because today when we look at the voting and attendance rates - not the general problem in the country -we can see in Baalbek-Hermel, for example, which was the primary and first target the voting percentage yesterday was 63% as opposed to 2009 when it was 54% - here we are still talking about a Shiite environment. On the contrary, this attack and accusation incentivized an even greater turnout. If we look at the districts, we will find intensity in participation. Let me talk broadly about the Shiite issue, generally speaking the supporters of the resistance, its allies, those who supported the lists of the resistance from the Shiites, Sunnis, Druze, and Christians, alliances, and existing relationships between forces, friends, parties, and independent political figures. Therefore, we find that the voting rate and attendance is very high in Zahle, in the Western Bekaa, in Dahiya [the southern Suburbs of Beirut], in Baabda, in Beirut, in Jbeil itself, in the three districts of the South. There was a large and important participation. All with the same background. For example, in some districts that we do not have candidates, we find a great and effective participation from our public, our bases, our brothers and sisters in terms of electoral machines and voting.
Let us take the division between us and the Amal Movement in the Western Bekaa and Zahrani for example. There are also districts where we nor the Amal Movement have no candidate. This is if we are talking about the national duo. Despite that, our brothers and sisters have exerted effort in the districts where we do not have candidates. Yet, we took the decision support our friends and allies in Beirut's first district, in Aley and Chouf and in Metn. In Jbeil and Keserwan we had a candidate. We also had in the different districts of the north. They participated and defended the political choice because our political choice was moral, so to speak. We did not have any electoral interests in the immediate sense. But we had allies and friends there. And we had a group of votes. In this law, a vote or hundreds of votes or a thousand votes or five hundred votes can change the equation. So, we decided to be beside our allies and friends. We saw that our brothers and sisters, our supporters and the supporters of the resistance acted responsibly in all these districts, electoral machines, in voting, and in serious participation. They acted with great national responsibility. They were not dealing on the basis that we have a candidate in this district or that candidate in that district concerns that party and does not concern our party. No, they acted at the level of the entire project, the entire resistance project, and the entire national project. The project is actually more than this which is our position in the axis of resistance and the conflict of the region as a whole.
These high percentages, of course, were in fact the direct response to all those who tried to say that the resistance, at least, in its internal environment has weakened and that its people have weakened, despaired, and become tired. The message these elections are sending is the complete opposite, even at the level of the relationships with allies and friends. Also, our experiences send an entirely opposite message.
Well, this is the first section. I will not prolong while tackling the second section.
The elections are over. Prior to the elections, I told the political forces, including the political figures, the leaders and the preachers to be patient. When the elections end, whatever the results are the next day there is a national reality that exists in Lebanon. No one can ignore it. It is everyone needs everyone. No one can exclude or cancel the other. We can have severe disagreements, even strategic or tactical and detailed disagreements. But this is the composition of the country. If we wanted this country to have a state, security and stability; if we wanted our social, economic, and livelihood problems solved; if we wanted to preserve the existing accomplishment, everyone should cooperate with each other. They should link all the conflicts in any issue. They should agree on strategic files as well as internal and detailed files. That is why I used to call for reconciliation in the speeches. Recently, we were eager to ensure that our addresses were not sectarian or inciting anyone. In this sense, our addresses were all political, although at some stage and in some cases the political speech was harsh, but it was always abiding by good conduct.
In any case, now we are done with the elections. Again, the call is as follows to all Lebanese people, to all the political forces, to all the political leaders - we are advising each other. There is no teacher and the other is the student. We all learn at the national school. We should all belong to one school. Now the people should calm down. They should be patient. There might be those who will continue with heated speeches where people say whatever comes to mind without thinking. Through this, we will be dragging the country into a greater problem.
Now, the people should calm down. The sectarian discourse or the regional discourse - because there was a lot of regional discourse in this election - should end. Should we continue like this? I believe that the one who wants to continue like this wants sedition in the country. He wants to ruin all the existing achievements. He wants to impede the possibility of improving the country's situation which includes its security, political, social and livelihood situations. Hence, the Lebanese people should not be silent on this matter. Whoever he may be, from our side or the others. Anyone who wants to resort to sectarian and inflammatory discourse should be faced. We are done with the elections. How are we going to move on from here? People must calm down. Elections inflict wounds. We must mend these wounds. We must practice restraint. The people and the political forces must practice restraint. The results will be announced. We must deal with the results realistically. We have to draw lessons rather than bang our heads against the wall. I am not talking about us. God willing, we will not need to hit on our heads. We have to draw lessons, work harder and address our gaps, flaws and shortcomings.
I call for a new stage. I hope the media, the social media, the social networking sites will help us a lot. Those who want to celebrate, let them celebrate. People who want to talk, let them talk. People who want to comment, let them comment. I hope no one resorts to gloating. There might be confusion among the political forces and in most of the lists. This matter should be addressed internally. Escalation in this matter or issuing accusations might cause great injustice due to absence of facts. There may also be no injustice. But this should be addressed internally. This does not change anything in the election results. We should be positive. We should calm the atmosphere in the country. We should realize that the elections are over. There should not be any form of gloating. We have new challenges. We have a new Parliament. We want to elect a new parliament speaker. The parliament will start working. People will name a prime minister. A new government will be formed. Discuaaions should start from now regarding the formation of the government. We have to take advantage of time. It is true that there are still a few days for the current Parliament and government's mandate. But we must take advantage of the opportunity. Because we d not know the situation of the region. We were all occupied with the elections. But some of us, including me, were following-up every day what the "Israelis" are saying and threatening, including threats issued towards Lebanon and Syria. There is also the problem between "Israel" and Iran and what is happening in Palestine. In Gaza, something very big is taking place. The Palestinian developments are very significant. We do not know where the region is heading. Therefore, we do not have much time to lose in Lebanon. It is not permissible and not right that the formation of the next government should take seven or eight months or a year or more or less. The situation of the country cannot bear this. Even our presence as a county in a tense region like this cannot bear it. The Lebanese people's victory cannot bear it. There should be reason, great seriousness and dedication to inform every one of what is happening and what has happened. We should seek to gather our problems and ourselves and fix them.
Whether we like it or not, we have a Parliament. We have a Parliament for the next four years. It will now form a new government. We will depend on God and address our problems and issues. The general spirit that should govern the next stage should be the spirit of cooperation regardless of the disagreements, even if it were strategic or detailed differences.
There are only two points remaining in this section. The first point is that I want to assure the people in Beirut. In light of the results, to all those who are worried about the Arab identity of Beirut, I would like to tell them this identity will remain Arab. Its Arab and resistance identity will be ensured. The diversity produced by the results of the elections and the parliamentary representation of the various political forces in Beirut will give Beirut its real identity. It will enable it to be the capital of Lebanon. Hence, this result will prove all those who spoke about the elections being a threat to Beirut and its identity. Whether in Beirut I or Beirut II, I believe that when we see all the figures, political forces and the headlines represented as well as the existing diversity, the result will reaffirm that Beirut is for all of Lebanon. This sums up all of Lebanon, and the Lebanese people are all represented in it. We all should cooperate to preserve Beirut's Arabic identity. Of course, its resistance identity will be affirmed. Yes, Beirut has always been and will always be, God willing, the capital of the resistance and the main incubator for the resistance project as well as the Palestinian project.
The last point is the issue of Jbeil-Keserwan. I know that our brothers and sisters, whether in Hezbollah or in the Amal movement - I am talking about the Shiite issue in particular- worked really hard. We have seen this at the ballot boxes. We have seen the huge voting, of course, as they voted for Hezbollah's candidate in this district. We wished that the result were different. I understand their feelings and sentiments. We share these feelings. I thank them for all that they have done. I also thank all our friends in the National Solidarity list who have held great responsibilities in this matter. Because I included this topic under the section of calls for the coming stage, I would like to ask our brothers and sisters in Jbeil and Keserwan to draw lessons and morals. But one's psychological state should not be based on his surroundings.
We insist on living together and coexistence. We insist on our great alliances and our alliance at the level of the region, our friendships and our view of the national situation. That is why I understand the psychological issue. But with time, negative feelings should not be based on this. Of course, I am very confident that no negative behavior is built on it. I am keen to address the heart, emotion and feelings. We do not want any negative feelings to be built on this matter as time passes. You are part of this area. You are part of its life, its formation, its past, its present and its future. We want to continue with this matter and coexist with it naturally. We appreciate the special efforts you have made. We appreciate these special and distinguished efforts made by our friends in the National Solidarity List.
The last part is expressing gratitude. First of all, thanks to Allah Almighty. Any luck, victory, help, achievement, cooperation, cohesion, homogeneity are all due to the grace of God and His virtue. Thanks and praise to Him. Also thanks to the people. According to the historical and social customs that God Almighty enacted, a lot of things are linked to the will of people. Here, you have expressed your wills. I thank you. I thank all of you. I start first with the families of the martyrs who have preserved the blood of their beloved husbands, children, and family with their votes. I have seen on the television, as I was following-up on the families of the martyrs, how some mothers of martyrs were carrying the pictures of their martyred sons they cast their ballots. This would confuse the voter. But the symbolic expression was excellent. Their statements, stances, and presence during the electoral campaign until election day was very special. [I thank] The wounded whose wounds did not hinder them; some with limbs cut off, others lost their sight, there were those who were paralyzed. They were all participated in large numbers and expressed their stances very well. The appearances of the elderly people who came were also touching. They were using canes as they waited for an hour or two, etc. They also spoke with consciousness, realization and knowledge. There was a great popular presence, including women and men in all areas.
In terms of the rallies, we started in Nabatieh and ended in Baalbek. Now, we start from where we concluded, from Baalbek-Hermel. There was a large turnout. It is probably the first time in the parliamentary elections that a huge number of people take part in the elections in the same area. I would like to commend the great participation of the people and their steadfastness during the Baalbek rally. At the time of the rally we were a bit squeezed. The scene of the people covering their heads with the chairs to prevent the large size hails from hitting them. I was told that it remained hailing for 20 to 30 minutes.
Some electoral rallies would end when it starts raining. But the people sat for half an hour under the rain or probably an hour under the rain and remained while I was delivering my speech. Of course, this showed the will to challenge. This expressed a great challenge and people's will and adherence. I told some brothers that it might not rain on Friday when we postponed the rally on Tuesday. This is our faith. Probably God Almighty wanted it to rain and hail and people would stay to send a message. Where was it hailing? It was hailing in Baalbek-Hermel area. All eye were on this area the moment the elections kicked off. There was huge turnout in Baalbek-Hermel, Zahle, Western Bekaa and the Southern Suburbs. There was also a huge turnout in Beirut, the districts of the South, in Jbeil, Keserwan and the rest of the constituencies. I thank the people in every constituency. I thank the people who took part and endured the slow voting process. There were clear administrative issues that people were talking about. They had to wait for an hour, two hours and three hours on top of the congestion and the pressure especially in the last hours.
The people endured a lot and they deserve to be thanked and appreciated. This was their Jihad. This was your loyalty. This was your genuine and main resistance. Of course, [I thank] the men and women, the brothers and sisters for their presence in the electoral machines. I am still talking in general. [I thank them] for their participation with us, their participation in the rallies, their presence during the day of the election. A big thanks to the cooperation that existed at the level of leadership and at the level of bases with our brothers and sisters in the Amal Movement, with the rest of our allies, friends and figures in the different districts. A special and great thanks to Hezbollah electoral machines whether the central machines or the machines present in all the areas, to the brothers and sisters who worked for long weeks, day and night, in these machines and yielded this excellent result.
Thanks to the candidates who, in a very short time, were able to tour all the villages, cities, and areas and meet with people. Although the time was tight, they exerted great effort in media coverage, popular communication and direct attendance.
[Thanks to] The officials who managed these machines, whether centrally or regionally, whether they are district officials or unit or file officials of different levels. It is also my duty to extend special thanks to the head of the central electoral machine, who exerted the greatest effort in managing the elections, our brother, His Eminence Sheikh Naim Qassem, may God protect him and protect you all.
Thanks to everyone. With God's will you bear good deeds and the blessings of your actions in the afterlife and in this life. God willing, I hope I did not forget anyone.
We are now in front of a whole new phase. People have done what they can, regardless if some had issues with the performance of some administrations. But the state administration managing the elections worked very hard. We thank them. Thanks to the concerned ministries, the army, the security apparatus, the employees, the registrars, the organizations that overlooked the process and everyone who helped make these elections as best as possible and with the least possible flaws. God bless you.
I want to conclude by saying that we are in front of a new stage. The people have done what they have to do. I am not talking about Hezbollah or the Amal Movement. I am speaking at the national level. The Lebanese people have done what they have to. They came to the elections, participated, voted and elected.
There is now a Parliament. It is the responsibility of the parliamentarians to form a government, hold it accountable and oversee it. They have to fulfill their promises, all the promises they made during the electoral campaigns. Therefore, the coming stage is the stage of taking responsibilities and returning the trust. All parliamentarians should act responsibly. They have a responsibility towards the people, their fate, security, stability, coexistence, civil peace, sovereignty, the wealth of their country, oil, gas, water, land, every grain of sand, drop of water, dignity, pride, honor, and the future of their kids and grandchildren. Responsibility now rests with the parliamentarians, as they are liable before God and the people. These are not just mundane headlines. It is an [religious] obligation. Those who understand the subject of the afterlife know that this is a great responsibility before God in the Day of Judgment. Working against this responsibility is betraying trust. The greatest human and religious value is returning what you are entrusted with.
Elected parliamentarians should return the trust to the Lebanese people by being serious in the parliamentary committees. They have to discuss, present proposals of laws to solve the problems of the country, follow-up, and take part responsibly in the government. Any parliamentarian that falls back from his responsibility is regarded as a traitor according to the moral and religious scales. He has betrayed the trust that people entrusted him with on May 6. As for us, I repeat and say that from our part everything we spoke about in the electoral campaigns and programs including all the promises we made to people, God willing, my brothers and I will fulfill them. This is not just the responsibility of the parliamentarians. It is also the responsibility of the political leadership that these MPs belong to. We will work day and night to fulfill these promises. This was not electoral talk so that we win on May 6. This was a promise to God and to you. We consider that our greatest responsibility is to fulfill every promise we made to you in the past days. All the goodness and blessing be for our kins people in all the Lebanese areas with all their diversities and components.
God willing, we will be able to protect and build the future of this country. We will protect and build together. We will preserve its goods and hand them to our children and grandchildren and to all future generations better than they were in our lives, youth and time. Long may you and Lebanon Live.
Peace and God's mercy and blessings be upon you.
Source: Hezbollah Media Relations, Translated by website team
