Voting to elect four members of the Lebanese parliament took place in the
Akkar District (a rural area in northern Lebanon) in 1968, part of the
national general election of that year.
Two of the seats of the constituency were earmarked for the
Sunni Muslim community, one seat for the
Greek Orthodox
The term Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also cal ...
and one for the
Maronites (for more information about the Lebanese election system, see
Elections in Lebanon
Elections in Lebanon are allotted to occur every four years. Every citizen is allowed to vote, but the positions are constitutionally allocated by religious affiliation. In 2014, the Parliament failed to elect a president and extended its own ter ...
).
[Zuwiyya, Jalal. ]
The Parliamentary Election of Lebanon 1968
'. Leiden: Brill, 1972. pp. 35-37 Akkar was the most underdeveloped area of northern Lebanon, politically dominated by landlords. The elections were marred by accusations of vote-buying and minor violent incidents.
The constituency had 71,899 eligible voters, out of whom 30,282 voted.
[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
Candidates
There were three tickets with four candidates each as well as two candidates running on individual tickets. The battle stood primarily between the Democratic Front ticket of Bashir al-Uthman and the Suleiman al-Ali, who made a comeback after seven years' absence from active politics (he had been accused of masterminding the murder of a political opponent). The third ticket, of lesser important for the outcome, was formed by three landlords without party affiliation and a post-graduate student of Law.
Democratic Front ticket
The Democratic Front ticket carried the names of Bashir al-Uthman (Sunni landlord, incumbent parliamentarian), Bahij al-Qaddur (Sunni landlord, incumbent parliamentarian), Jacob Sarraf (Greek Orthodox, former minister) and
Fakhr Fakhr
Fakhr Fakhr ( ar, فخـر فخر) was a Lebanese Maronite army officer and politician. He was born in Anndit, Akkar District. He graduated from Beirut Military Academy.Zuwiyya, Jalal. The Parliamentary Election of Lebanon 1968'. Leiden: Brill, ...
(Maronite, retired colonel).
Al-Ali ticket
Suleiman al-Ali was a Sunni landlord. His running mates were Jawdat al-Ibrahim (another Sunni landlord), Ra'uf Hanna (Greek Orthodox landlord and former parliamentarian) and Mikail ad-Dahir (Maronite, lawyer).
Results
All of the candidates of the Democratic Front ticket were elected.
References
{{Lebanese general election, 1968
Akkar District
Akkar District