The Guardians of the Cedars Party issued the following weekly communiqué:

Regardless of the results from the standpoint of the numbers, the winners of the North Metn and Beirut by-elections are three:

1 – Democracy, which is as old as Lebanon, and which has returned to its previous revival and heyday after it was sequestered and distorted for 30 years by the Syrian occupation. This confirms the depth of its roots in Lebanese society and that the violent desert winds will never be able to uproot it.

2 – The Lebanese people, who have resumed their democratic life with noticeable vigor, civilized manner and a distinctive perception in spite of the charged atmosphere that accompanied the elections, the wretched political climate that has taken the country by storm, and the stifling economic and living conditions from which it suffers.

3 – The military institution, namely the Army and the Internal Security Forces, which has proven once again its permanent readiness at the right time and place, its competence to control the security situation, and its rise above cheap politicking, in spite of the many burdens it is carrying throughout the Lebanese regions, especially the north where it is fighting the fiercest battles against the forces of evil and terrorism.

A people like the Lebanese people, who remain attached to the principles of freedom and democracy in the midst of an existential crisis, who display the highest sense of awareness and responsibility, who resort to the ballot boxes to resolve political differences, and who possess a military institution with such a high degree of responsibility, sacrifice and giving, is a people who truly deserve life.

Lebanon, at your service
Abu Arz
August 10, 2007