BEIRUT: A candidate running against Hezbollah in Lebanon鈥檚 parliamentary elections was in hospital on Sunday after being assaulted by a group of men in his southern hometown, he told AFP.
Journalist Ali Al-Amin is a vocal critic of the Tehran-backed Hezbollah, and is challenging the party in the upcoming May 6 legislative election.
鈥淚 was hanging up the very first picture of myself at the bottom of my street in Shaqra, just 100 meters away from my house,鈥� he said.
Dozens of men approached him and demanded he take down the campaign poster, but he refused. They then began beating him, Amin said.
鈥淚鈥檓 at the hospital now. My tooth is broken, I have very severe back pain and was hit in the head,鈥� he said.
Amin, who is running in the polls as a Shiite Muslim, directly blamed Hezbollah: 鈥淚t was an organized group of well-known guys, authorized by Hezbollah.鈥�
Lebanon鈥檚 May 6 legislative vote will be the first since 2009, after years of deadlock and security concerns prompted repeated extensions of the Parliament鈥檚 mandate.
It is Amin鈥檚 first time running in the southern district, which is granted 11 seats under Lebanon鈥檚 new electoral law 鈥� eight of them allocated for Shiite Muslims.
Lebanon鈥檚 128 parliamentary seats are distributed according to the religious sects present in each district, with the total body split evenly between Muslims and Christians.
Hezbollah and its ally the Amal movement are the two most powerful political forces in the southern district of Bint Jbeil, where Amin鈥檚 hometown lies.
He has received threats in recent years but insisted Saturday鈥檚 violence would not deter him.
鈥淭his incident won鈥檛 affect us, we鈥檙e still going to run. But we want the world to see what kind of elections will be held under Hezbollah,鈥� he said.
Hezbollah is a current member of Lebanon鈥檚 parliament and cabinet, but the US considers it a 鈥渢errorist鈥� group and many criticize it for suppressing dissent in areas under its control.
In 2013, a young protester demonstrating against Hezbollah鈥檚 intervention in the war in neighboring Syria was shot and killed, with many blaming Hezbollah although no one was ever charged.