Deus Ex Machina

I want to write a quick few words on the (deserved) victory of Ashraf Rifi in Tripoli’s municipal elections

It may feel like this completely game-changing event, but the biggest conclusion we should make is that this is truly about the failure of the leadership of Saad Hariri.

It takes a special kind of incompetence to lose an election to someone who promises to be harder on your father’s killers than you are. Ashraf Rifi was essentially running on a reinvigoration platform, on returning to the essence of March 14 and being hard on the killers of Rafik Hariri.

Ironically, while many in Tripoli are starting to see Mr. Rifi as Rafik Hariri’s true heir, it was arguably Mr. Hariri Junior’s move (allying with your enemies for the greater good) that was more in spirit with what his father would have done. But the son didn’t have what it takes and didn’t give the tripoli people what they wanted.

Instead, he took them for granted and got in bed with the same people who whitewashed the killing of his father, and he didn’t even have the decency to explain to the voters why he had to stab them in the back.

Hariri was beaten not by a stranger, or an outsider. He was beaten by a better version of himself..