1968 Lebanese general election in Marjeyoun-Hasbaya

Voting to elect four members of the Lebanese parliament took place in the predominantly Shia Muslim Marjeyoun-Hasbaya constituency in southern Lebanon on March 31, 1968, part of the national general election of that year.[1] Two of the seats of the constituency were earmarked for the Shia Muslim community, one for the Sunni Muslims and one for the Greek Orthodox (for more information about the Lebanese election system, see Elections in Lebanon).[1][2] The constituency had 45,849 eligible voters, out of whom 23,224 voted.[3] The polling day was marred by heavy rains.[1]

Candidates

There were eleven candidates in the fray, with ten candidates contesting on three different tickets. The eleventh candidate contested on his own. The fight stood primarily between two tickets, each headed by a candidate from the al-As'ad family (a powerful Shiite family in the area).[1]

Southern Bloc ticket

The main candidate of the al-As'ad family and heading one of the lists was Kamil al-As'ad, the leader of the Southern Bloc. He had been a longtime parliamentarian and minister at different occasions. His running mates were Mamduh al-Abdallah (Shiite, incumbent parliamentarian), Ra'if Samarah (Greek Orthodox, lawyer) and Ali Madi (Sunnite, lawyer and former Minister of Education).[1][4]

As'ad al-As'ad ticket

The dissident list was headed by As'ad al-As'ad, former diplomat and former director of the Ministry of Information. His running mates were Ibrahim al-Abdallah (Shiite, journalist and ex-parliamentarian), Suhayl Shihab (Sunnite, ex-parliamentarian) and Iskandar Ghibril (Greek Orthodox, ex-parliamentarian, member of the Progressive Socialist Party).[1]

Other candidates

Other candidates of leftist and nationalist tendencies, like Habib Sadiq, Ahmad Suwayd and Nuruddin Nuruddin, sought to challenge the dominance of feudal powers in the political life of the area.[5] The latter belonged to the Syrian Social Nationalist Party.[6]

Results

All four candidates on the Southern Bloc ticket were elected.[1][4] Kamil al-As'ad was elected speaker of the Chamber of Deputies after the election.[3] Candidates' vote totals were as follows:[1][7]

Candidate Ticket Sect Votes Elected?
Kamil al-Asad Southern Bloc Shiite 13,289 checkY
Ra'if Samarah Southern Bloc Greek Orthodox 11,787 checkY
Mamduh al-Abdallah Southern Bloc Shiite 10,720 checkY
Iskandar Ghibril As'ad al-As'ad Greek Orthodox 10,290
Ali Madi Southern Bloc Sunni 9,915 checkY
As'ad al-As'ad As'ad al-As'ad Shiite 9,199
Suhyal Shihab As'ad al-As'ad Sunni 5,908
Ibrahim al-Abdallah As'ad al-As'ad Shiite 5,593
Muhammad Habib Sadiq Shiite 5,256
Ahmad Suwayd Sunni 4,423
Nuruddin Nuruddin Sunni 3,038
Ibrahim Khalil al-Abdallah Shiite 22
As'ad Bayud Greek Orthodox 2

References
  1. Zuwiyya, Jalal. The Parliamentary Election of Lebanon 1968. Leiden: Brill, 1972. pp. 41, 53-55
  2. Ḥevrah ha-Mizraḥit ha-Yiśreʼelit, Merkaz le-meḥḳar ʻal shem Reʼuven Shiloaḥ, and Mekhon Shiloaḥ le-ḥeḳer ha-Mizraḥ ha-tikhon ṿe-Afriḳah. Middle East Record. Tel Aviv: Israel Oriental Society, Reuven Shiloah Research Center, 1960. pp. 350-351
  3. Ḥevrah ha-Mizraḥit ha-Yiśreʼelit, Merkaz le-meḥḳar ʻal shem Reʼuven Shiloaḥ, and Mekhon Shiloaḥ le-ḥeḳer ha-Mizraḥ ha-tikhon ṿe-Afriḳah. Middle East Record. Tel Aviv: Israel Oriental Society, Reuven Shiloah Research Center, 1968. pp. 637-638
  4. Ḥevrah ha-Mizraḥit ha-Yiśreʼelit, Merkaz le-meḥḳar ʻal shem Reʼuven Shiloaḥ, and Mekhon Shiloaḥ le-ḥeḳer ha-Mizraḥ ha-tikhon ṿe-Afriḳah. Middle East Record. Tel Aviv: Israel Oriental Society, Reuven Shiloah Research Center, 1968. p. 640
  5. Janoubia Online. معارك 1960 – 1972 الانتخابية في منطقة العرقوب – حاصبيا: التقليد غلب «المكتب الثاني» Archived 2012-03-27 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ssnp.info. "كيف تتحضر الاحزاب للانتخابات النيابية"، الحزب السوري القومي الاجتماعي اول من طرح برنامجاً انتخابياً في الاربعينات كتلته النيابية وصلت الى ستة وتناقصت الى اثنين ويسعى الى استعادتها
  7. Mājid, Mājid Khalīl. al-Intikhābāt al-niyābīyah, 1861-1992: al-qawānīn, al-natāʼij. [Beirut?]: Tawzīʻ, al-Muʼassasah al-Jāmiʻīyah lil-Dirāsāt wa-al-Nashr, 1992.
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