Disclaimer: This is information only, we are not endorsing any list or candidate, for a wider overview of the lists please check the following: Daleel Al Thawra, The Lebanese Diaspora Network, United Diaspora LB
BEIRUT 1 DISTRICT: INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES
Number of Registered Voters in Lebanon 2021: 125,218
Number of Registered Voters in Diaspora 2021: 9,668
Voter Turnout 2018: 33.19%
TOTAL: 8 seats | Maronite (1 seat) | Orthodox (1 seat) | Catholics (1 seat) | Minorities (1 seat) | Armenian Catholics (1 seat) | Armenian Orthodox (3 seats)
Liwatani is a cross-regional and cross-sectarian political organization that was formed in January 2017. It includes many political groups that emerged during the August 2015 uprising. They believe that the people do not want the constitution to change, but rather to be properly regulated. Li Watani aims to build a new system of government that implements the constitution and guarantees the attainment of a civil state.
“We, the people, believe that we have rights as well as duties. It is our duty to seek to secure the freedom of all citizens and their basic rights guaranteed by the constitution and which guarantee their sanctity and dignity”
Liwatani
Ziad Adel Abi Chaker –
زياد عادل ابي شاكر
Political Affiliation: Tahalof Watani
Seat: Maronite
Political Cluster: نداء ١٣ نيسان
Ziad Abi Chaker is an industrial and environmental engineer. He believes that the parliament should represent communities on a smaller scale. He aims to stand up against the current parliament, which has been in place for 30 years, and to hold them accountable for their corrupt and criminal acts that go against Lebanese civil rights. Abi Chaker wants to return hope and promote a better future for Lebanon that reflects the desire of the people.
Paula Yacoubian –
بوليت ياغوبيان
Political Affiliation: Tahalof Watani
Seat: Armenian Orthodox
Political Cluster: نداء ١٣ نيسان
Paula Yacoubian is the daughter of an Armenian Genocide survivor. She is a political and social activist and member of “Tahalof Watani”. In 2018, she was elected in Beirut I for a seat in the Lebanese Parliament. After the Beirut Port explosion, Yacoubian resigned from her seat in protest against the government’s negligence and crimes. She is a well-known journalist and TV host and worked at countless TV stations in the Middle East. She was selected by the World Bank Group for its External Advisory Panel for Diversity and Inclusion due to her advocacy for women’s rights, women’s empowerment, and defending a fairer electoral law in Lebanon. Yacoubian is the CEO and General Manager of “Integrated Communications”, an organization focused on communications, media, and public speaking training. To support underprivileged families, Yacoubian created the “DAFA Campaign” in 2013, which is one of the most successful donation campaigns in the Middle East. She is also a strong advocate for the environment and has supported many environmental protection programs. Yacoubian has received many awards throughout her career, including the “Officier De L’Ordre de la Couronne” from King Philippe I of Belgium in 2017.
Yacoubian’s vision is to present a diverse group of candidates who can work towards a country that provides a better life and better services for all its citizens
Brigitte Chelebian –
برجيت شلبيان
Political Affiliation: Tahalof Watani
Seat: Armenian Catholic
Political Cluster: نداء ١٣ نيسان
Brigitte Chelebian was born in 1972 and is Lebanese-Armenian. Since 1994, she has been registered as a lawyer with the Beirut Bar Association. She specialized in civil, commercial, and criminal cases, personal status cases, and various human rights cases. Chelebian is the founder and Executive Director of Justice Without Borders, which aims to protect victims and witnesses of injustice, end impunity, promote women’s rights, and provide support to sexual and gender-based violence. She worked as a legal and gender expert with various United Nations agencies, the European Union, and other national and international organizations. She has received global recognition for her efforts to end violence against women. Chelebian has published several studies related to personal status laws and domestic violence, women’s prisons in Lebanon, and creating shelters for survivors of gender-based violence.
“You can’t achieve a government without justice or a nation without justice. My goal is to build a country for the future of our children, for all the men and women, and for those who left Lebanon.”
Charles R. Fakhoury –
شارل ريمون فاخوري
Political Affiliation: ReLebanon (لبنان عن جديد)
Seat: Greek Catholic
Political Cluster: Lebanese Opposition Front
Charles Fakhoury was born in 1961 and is an activist for human rights, particularly for women and children. He is a member of Tahalof Watani and supported them during the 2018 Parliamentary Elections. He received a degree in Civil Engineering with a focus on Structural Design, Hydraulics, and Water Treatment from Saint Joseph University. Fakhoury is a founding partner of TRACS, an alliance of public transport organizations that seek to develop sustainable transportation in Lebanon. He is also a founding member of the Lebanon Anew movement. He was the Secretary General of ESIB Alumni until February 2022 and is currently the treasurer of the Council of the Engineers Syndicate in Beirut. Fakhoury has been a political activist since the Syrian occupation in 1989. In 2016, he joined the Civil Society Movement in the Beirut Municipal Elections.
Cynthia Zarazir –
سينتيا فادي زرازير
Political Affiliation: ReLebanon (لبنان عن جديد)
Seat: Minorities
Political Cluster: Lebanese Opposition Front
Cynthia Zarazir was born in 1982 and is a member of ReLebanon (لبنان عن جديد). She is a specialist in the Audio Visual Arts and received her degree from the American University of Technology (AUT). She helped produce several social and education programs on the SAT-7 station. Zarazir founded the Human Rights Club at AUT and participated in movements against the Syrian occupation. She has been involved in the Lebanese revolution since its inception on October 17. Zarazir supported the victims of the Beirut Port explosion by providing daily meals and medicine and by helping restore damaged homes.
Ziad R. Abs –
زياد ريمون عبس
Political Affiliation: ReLebanon (لبنان عن جديد)
Seat: Greek Orthodox
Political Cluster: Lebanese Opposition Front
Ziad Abs was born in Beirut in 1972. He received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the American University of Beirut. He founded a global company that specializes in the design and implementation of Architectural Lighting. He is also a founding member of Petroserve, which aims to connect Lebanese oil and gas experts around the world to work on pioneering projects. Abs co-founded an organization, which implemented educational, social, and health activities aimed at reducing youth migration. In the 1990s, he participated in the movement against the Syrian occupation. In 2018, Abs ran in the Parliamentary Elections with Kulluna Watani. After the elections, he worked with his partners to launch a political campaign, “ReLebanon” that opposes the current authority and calls for the establishment of a civil state. This group is now part of Tahalof Watani.
Diana B. Ohanian –
ديانا بوغوص اوهانيان
Political Affiliation: Tahalof Watani
Seat: Armenian Orthodox
Political Cluster: نداء ١٣ نيسان
Diana Ohanian was born in 1982 and is Lebanese-Armenian. She is dedicated to humanitarian and social work. She studied Nursing Science at the American University of Beirut (AUB) and Public Health and Development Science at the University of Balamand. Ohanian received several certificates related to disaster response and risk reduction. She worked for over 14 years in the health sector in Lebanon and abroad. She has also volunteered in organizations fighting for women’s and children’s rights.
“My objective is not only to run for myself, but to run for the long lines of people waiting to get gas, for the elderly waiting to get into hospitals, for every woman who wants to give nationality to her children, and for every child who wants to be educated.”
Maguy K. Nenedjian –
ماغي كيراكوس نانيجيان
Political Affiliation: Tahalof Watani
Seat: Armenian Orthodox
Political Cluster: نداء ١٣ نيسان
Maguy Nenedjian was born in 1983 and is the mother of three children. She received university degrees in Business Administration and Public Accounting, Journalism and Audiovisual Media, and English Language Teaching. She worked for Al Jaras TV and magazine, Sawa magazine, and produced and anchored morning programs. She was the Editor-in-Chief of an Iraqi magazine, “Fan and Fashion.” Nenedjian is a social activist and volunteer at “DAFA Campaign” and is responsible for social media, archives, and managing the aid distribution process.
“It’s been an endless struggle for women to obtain political and social leadership positions, especially in Parliament. I want a society that is capable of success and creativity without gender discrimination.”
“I want to be the voice for every person who cannot express themselves or articulate what’s bothering them.”
“We want Lebanon to look like us: free and independent.”
Beirut Madinati is a political campaign that emerged in 2016 to run in the Beirut municipality elections. Beirut Madinati aims to integrate a people-centered policy into the decision making process. Their ultimate goal is for Lebanon to be a country where all citizens “prosper under a system that respects and protects their civil rights by activating the rule of law, and is committed to social justice and equality for all.”
Beirut Madinati
Levon Telvizian –
ليفون تلفزيان
Political Affiliation: Madinati
Seat: Armenian Orthodox
Political Cluster: نداء ١٣ نيسان
Levon Telvizian is a Municipal Affairs Coordinator and was nominated for Beirut Madinati Citizens Council in 2016. He was born in Mar Mikhael and received his graduate and postgraduate degrees from the Lebanese University. He is an architect, urban planner, university professor, and United Nations advisor for national urban policies in Lebanon. He founded and headed the Department of Urban Planning at the Lebanese University for 10 years. In addition to his work as a researcher, Telvizian was a consultant for international and local organizations. In partnership with the United Nations, he prepared the HABITAT III report for the Lebanese state, which aims to improve social, economic, and political issues at national and local levels. Telvizian is also the author of several articles and papers related to local development, strategic planning, urban observatories, cultural heritage, and urban services in Lebanon.
Jack Jendo –
جاك جندو
Political Affiliation: Madinati
Seat: Minorities
Political Cluster: نداء ١٣ نيسان
Jack Jendo is the father of two children and was born in Sad El Baouchriyeh. Jendo aims to improve people’s lives by developing public and private institutions that will promote a productive society and country. He studied at the Lebanese University, Faculty of Business, and has a Master’s degree in Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management. Injustice in companies motivated Gendo to search for new and better ways of working. Gendo is the Founder and CEO of Brain Digits and Beirut in, an award-winning creative agency. Gendo is also involved in protecting human rights, especially of the minorities and most vulnerable Lebanese. He is a professional fellow for economic empowerment in the U.S. Department of State and a senior fellow at the United Nations Human Rights.
“From the heart of the crisis, I create opportunities.”
Tarek Ammar –
طارق عمار
Political Affiliation: Madinati
Seat: Greek Orthodox
Political Cluster: نداء ١٣ نيسان
Tarek Ammar is the co-founder, CEO, and Regional Director at ARA Research and Consultancy. He has two children and was born in Beirut. Ammar earned his MBA and BA in Business Administration from the American University of Beirut. He worked on many election campaigns and ran as a candidate in the Municipal Elections with Beirut Madinati in 2016. In 2007, he launched a national campaign entitled “I Love You Lebanon” to promote Lebanon as a tourist destination. Ammar is also a representative of ESOMAR in Lebanon. He has conducted many studies and polls relating to the electoral law and citizens’ priorities and needs. He’s accordingly published several articles that offer solutions to social and economic dilemmas.
Nada Sehnaoui –
ندى صحناوي
Political Affiliation: Madinati
Seat: Greek Catholic
Political Cluster: نداء ١٣ نيسان
Nada Sehnaoui is a visual artist and political activist. Her artwork has been exhibited internationally and has been featured in press publications worldwide. Her artwork deals with the issue of civil war, collective amnesia, the problem of public space, building identity, and women’s rights. She’s published a book on the history of Beirut and articles on politics and human rights. Sehnaoui is a founding member of the Civil Center for National Initiative and the former head of its administrative body. She is a member of Beirut Madinati and ran for a seat on Beirut’s Municipal Council in 2016. She earned a DEA in history from Paris-Sorbonne University, a Master’s degree in social sciences from Paris Nanterre University, and a diploma from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University.
Pierre Al Gemayel –
بيار الجميل
Seat: Maronite
Pierre Gemayel is based at the Gemayel Center in Achrafieh. He lost his brother in the Beirut Port explosion on August 4, 2020. Gemayel and his family were also displaced after the explosion and did not receive any help from the government or NGOs. He aims to provide all Lebanese citizens with the help and security that he never received.
“We are waging a confrontation during the parliamentary elections in all electoral districts, bearing a single and clear governance project, an alternative to a coalition of sects and money leaders, that simulates the people’s concerns and their actual reality.”
Qadreen
Roy Ibraheem –
روي ابرهيم
Political Affiliation: MMFD – مواطنون ومواطنات في دولة
Seat: Maronite
Marie Line Jureidini –
ماري لين جريديني
Political Affiliation: MMFD – مواطنون ومواطنات في دولة
Seat: Greek Catholic
“I present my candidacy as a fighter for a strong and capable civil state that guarantees its citizens equality before the law, an impartial judiciary and freedom of expression, that guarantees free hospitalization and quality education for all residents, as well as absolute protection of the environment and the architectural, cultural and natural heritage.”
Charbel Nahas –
شربل نحاس
Political Affiliation: MMFD – مواطنون ومواطنات في دولة
Seat: Greek Catholic
Charbel Nahas is the former Minister of Telecommunications. He is a politician, economist, and engineer. Nahas studied Engineering and Planning in France at École Polytechnique and Economy and Social Anthropology at École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées. He worked in the banking sector between 1986 and 1998 and was involved in several projects financing telecoms and housing operations. In 2016, he was named the General Secretary of the MMFD and aims to create “a civil democratic, fair and capable state.”
Moussa Khoury –
موسى خوري
Political Affiliation: MMFD – مواطنون ومواطنات في دولة
Seat: Maronite
Moussa Khoury has been practicing law since 1983 and is the founder of MAKLEGAL (Dubai). He is also the founding partner of MAKLAW and a member of Hiba Maani Advocates and Legal Consultants, a law firm in Dubai. Khoury practiced law in Paris for more than 10 years and specialized in civil, commercial, and corporate as well as telecommunications law. For the past 15 years, he has been a legal counsel to various ministries in Lebanon.