Lebanon vote free of Syria role
BEIRUT, Lebanon – Beirut residents voted Sunday in the opening round of the country’s first elections since Syria ended its 29-year domination of Lebanon, with lingering anger over Rafik Hariri’s assassination expected to propel his son to a big victory in the capital.
Hariri’s 35-year-old son Saad was already celebrating victory after his Future TV station reported his list had made a clean sweep of Beirut’s 19 seats. Hundreds of supporters danced and cheered outside the family’s palatial residence in Beirut and fireworks lit the night sky. The family went to the slain leader’s grave late Sunday to pray.
Official results were expected today.
Turnout for voting in Beirut, the first of four legs of parliamentary elections, was very light according to unofficial results. Only about 28 percent voted compared with 35 percent in the 2000 parliamentary elections, Interior Minister Hassan Sabei said after polls closed.
The election is expected to sweep the anti-Syrian opposition to power and install a new 128-seat parliament, removing the last vestiges of Syrian control. The vote was watched closely by the United States and other outside governments, which had pressed for a Syrian troop withdrawal and on-time elections despite a divisive election law that may have led some voters to boycott the polls.
“This is the first time I voted in my life,” said 70-year-old Elaine Antoun, smiling as she emerged from a polling station in Beirut’s mainly Christian Ashrafiyeh district. “The past few months made me feel there might be hope yet for this country.”
Sunday’s vote, which Sabei called “trouble-free,” was the first stage of four-part elections. Other regions vote on the next three Sundays.
Hariri’s assassination in February sparked international outrage and massive street demonstrations at home that eventually drove out the last of thousands of Syrian soldiers. At its peak, the Syrian force in Lebanon had numbered around 40,000.
Many in the opposition blamed Hariri’s killing on Syria and its Lebanese government allies, charges both denied.
Saad Hariri looked likely to be the main benefactor of lingering outrage over his father’s assassination. Hariri’s slate won nine of Beirut’s 19 seats in parliament by default because they were uncontested.
A government official said that with most of the votes counted, Hariri appeared to have an insurmountable lead. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the government did not want to announce results until the official tally was complete.
Saad Hariri had appealed for the sympathy vote.
“We say to people go out and vote to show gratitude to that person who sacrificed his blood and life for this country,” he said.
Rafik Hariri – a billionaire businessman who was prime minister for 10 of the last 15 years – was credited with rebuilding Lebanon from the destruction of the 1975-90 civil war.