The elections for the Engineers Syndicate in Beirut concluded with Fadi Hanna winning the position of president, supported by the Free Patriotic Movement along with the Hezbollah-AMAL coalition and the Ahbash party, with a total of 4,634 votes. In the North, Shawki Fattfett, also backed by the Free Patriotic Movement, as well as the Future and National Unity Movements, won the presidency with 1,707 votes.
The ballot boxes for the elections in Tripoli and the North closed at 7:30 PM, in preparation for the vote counting process, where over 3,400 engineers participated out of 9,453 who had paid their annual subscriptions and were eligible to vote. It's worth noting that the electoral process began at 9 AM to elect a new president to replace the outgoing president, Baha Harb, along with ten members for the branches of electricity and mechanics, a pension fund, and members of the syndicate council.
During the elections held today, Sunday, the wife of the martyr Pascal Suleiman participated, fulfilling her electoral duty and casting her vote.
There were two lists competing for the position: the first, led by Mursi Al-Masri, called "Our Syndicate," consisting of ten members. The second list, called "The Syndicate for All," was led by Shawki Fattfett and also included ten members.
The ballot boxes closed at 7:30 PM, after which the votes were counted and results were announced. Minister of Information Ziad Al-Makari cast his vote in the elections and stated: "I affirm that despite all the circumstances the country is going through, which contribute to delaying constitutional deadlines, the elections are taking place today, meaning that anything is possible if there is a will. Syndicates respect their electoral entitlements, and politicians should learn from this, especially the northern Engineers Syndicate, which sends an important message."
Regarding political interventions, he remarked, "It is natural for politics to intervene, as parties have an interest in securing positions within Lebanese society. We rely on the awareness of non-political colleagues who want to elect the best for the syndicate and its future. Even if parties intervene, there is a margin for non-partisans with no connections to parties. We assert that syndicate elections are always transparent and conducted with very high professionalism, hoping that this will spread throughout Lebanese society."
Deputy Engineer Adib Abd Al-Masih also expressed, while casting his vote in the North Engineers Syndicate elections, that "what we see and hear, after reviewing the electoral machine, indicates a very good turnout, especially after the Bollywood film we witnessed last night" and people’s fears. The will of the Lebanese people, especially engineers, to engage in the democratic process is stronger than anything. It aims to improve the conditions of the syndicate, which truly needs that, thus what we see is an encouraging picture that we hope will remain this way."
