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World Jewish News
Hezbollah, pro-West camp face off as Lebanon goes to the polls
07.06.2009
Lebanese voters cast ballots in a tightly contested general election on Sunday pitting a Western-backed coalition against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah and its allies.
Polling stations opened at 7 A.M. local time and some 50,000 members of the security forces fanned out over the 26 electoral districts to guard against violence, focusing on areas where competition is expected to be tightest.
"Democracy is a blessing that we must preserve, a blessing that distinguishes Lebanon in the Middle East," President Michel Suleiman told reporters after voting in his hometown in Jbeil district, north of Beirut.
He urged Lebanese to vote, calling it "an important act that should be done calmly and with joy so that afterwards we can start to build Lebanon".
The election, in which Christians are seen as the deciding voters because they back rival groups, will shape the government for the next four years. Armored personnel carriers dotted the streets of Beirut's Christian Ashrafiyeh district.
The election is a tight contest between coalitions at odds over issues including the fate of Hezbollah's powerful guerrilla army and relations with neighboring Syria, which dominated Lebanon until 2005.
Three polls forecast a narrow victory for the Shi'ite Hezbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran, and its allies, including Christian leader Michel Aoun. A fourth poll gives the advantage to their opponents.
Many expect the formation of a broad coalition cabinet, including parties from both sides, regardless of the result.
The United States, which lists Hezbollah as a terrorist group, has linked future aid to Lebanon to the shape and policies of the government that replaces the current national unity cabinet. Hezbollah is part of the present government.
The "March 14" majority coalition, led by Sunni politician Saad al-Hariri, has enjoyed firm backing from the United States and other countries including Saudi Arabia. It opposes the influence of Syria which dominated Lebanon until 2005.
Christian districts
The alliance won elections that followed the assassination of Hariri's father, Rafik, in 2005, but struggled to govern in the face of a paralyzing and sometimes violent power struggle with Hezbollah and its allies.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who heads a team of international observers, urged the Lebanese parties and their foreign backers to accept the result of the vote.
"I don't have any concerns over the conduct of the elections. I have concerns over the acceptance of the results by all the major parties," Carter said after visiting a polling station in Beirut.
"All the international observers hope and encourage all the parties to accept the result of the election whether they win or lose."
Being conducted under a new law, this year's election will largely be decided by the voting in divided Christian districts. Aoun, a former army commander, faces Christian rivals in the shape of the Phalange Party of former President Amin Gemayel and the Lebanese Forces of Samir Geagea.
Much of the election campaigning has focused on the group's guerrilla army, which is stronger than the state's security forces.
Opponents say Hezbollah's weapons undermine the state, while the group and its allies see them as crucial to defending Lebanon against Israel.
Tensions in Lebanon have mostly been kept in check by leaders whose rivalries pushed the country to the brink of civil war last year. A thaw in ties between Saudi Arabia and Syria is has also helped maintain stability in Lebanon in recent months.
Источник: Haaretz
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