BKIRKI: The Maronite Bishops' Council slammed what they called the "chaos prevailing within Christian ranks," adding that this chaos has driven the Christians in the country into a position of loss. In their monthly statement, issued Wednesday following a meeting presided over by Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir, the bishops said: "The chaos within the ranks that we are seeing indicates a neglect of national principles and a lack of clarity of options."

Anti-Syrian opposition groups will compete against each other in Baabda-Aley, the only district in the crucial polls which looks set to provide a real electoral battle. Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun will face leading opposition member Chouf MP Walid Jumblatt in the district and against other opposition figures in three other districts.

Criticizing an opposition that had, a few months ago pledged unity in front of hundreds of thousands of demonstrations in Martyrs' Square, the bishops said: "More unity is required in order to revive people's confidence in their country."

The bishops also said: "Competing in the parliamentary elections is legitimate in the spirit of democracy and mutual respect and according to national programs."

"But it becomes very harmful when it is transformed into a competition of interests and personal rivalries," they added.

The bishops also slammed the "unfair 2000 electoral law," which they claim is the reason for such a "low turnout in the Beirut polls and the reason for the abstention of Christians from voting, which shows dissatisfaction."

"The abstention of candidates from running in the Beirut elections and the people's failure to fulfill their national duty reveal a flaw and a dissatisfaction, which is probably the result of the electoral law that does not treat people of different confessions justly," the statement said.

Sfeir, who heads the Maronite Bishops' Council, has been very vocal in his rejection of the Syrian-orchestrated 2000 law, and gave a harsh rebuke earlier this month to the political class, claiming it marginalized the Christian community.

At the time, said the Maronite patriarch, out of the 64 Christian deputies in Parliament, only 15 are truly elected by the Christians. Sfeir's statement was heavily criticized, but he clarified his speech, saying: "This does not mean only Christians can vote for Christians or Muslims for Muslims." - Daily Star