Beirut
It is a village in Kesrouan, a mountainous region north of Beirut and an uneventful Christian family.
An image of Épinal, except that on this election Sunday, in a constituency where the fight between factions is fierce, 12 million Lebanese pounds (500 dollars) are offered to them to guarantee their vote for the "good" candidate.
“
We are waiting to see if competitors will outbid
“, assures the father of the family.
With good reason: a few hours before the ballot, the vote reaches 800 dollars in the region.
In Lebanon, vote buying is a common practice.
Many are the candidates to grease the paw of the voters, often “relays of opinion”, mokhtars (officers of civil status), prelates or heads of large families.
It is up to them to ensure that their network of influence slips the correct ballot into the ballot box.
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What is new, however, is the generalization of the phenomenon.
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Two out of ten people ask us: 'How much do you pay?'
This is a dictated answer...
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