Notable turnout for the third phase of the Lebanese elections
Lebanon, Politics, 6/13/2005

Ballot centers witnessed notable turnout in the Mount of Lebanon and the Bekaa areas by Lebanese voters immediately following the launch of voting operations in the third phase, before the last one of the parliamentary elections.

Statements by candidates stressed the early turnout to the ballot centers in contrary to the first and second phase when turnout was very weak during the first hours.

Some 1.25 million voters were invited to choose 58 parliamentarians out of 262 parliamentarians out of the total number of the parliament's 128 seats. This was amid competition among allies especially between the Christian opposition and the free national trend led by Michael Aoun. The governorate of the Mount of Lebanon includes four election circles of 25 Christian parliamentarians and 10 Muslims. Competition reached its peak in Baabda-Aley circle where Aoun list faced that of Junblat.

In the Bekaa governorate which includes three election circles, it has 23 seats divided between 14 seats for Muslims and 9 for Christians.

It is expected that results of the two governorates of the Mount of Lebanon and the Bekaa with their seven circles are expected to form a new political map for the "battle" for the presidency of the republic. While Beirut's elections in the first phase perpetuated the leadership of Saad al-Hariri, son of the late Lebanese prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri, and the elections of south of the second phase constituted a sort of referendum for the resistance option represented by Hizbullah party.

The Christians launched the elections from their main headquarters in dispersed lines amid exchanged accusations between lists led on the one hand by Aoun and between Junblat and other Christian opposition from Qurnet Shahwan meeting, sponsored by the Maronite patriarch Nasrullah Sfeir, on the other.

After casting his vote on Sunday in the second phase of the elections, the Lebanese Druze leader Walid Junblat strongly criticized Aoun. He said in an exclusive interview with al-Jazeera that Aoun returned back for destruction. He said that Aoun has already started the destruction and if he succeeds in his efforts, Lebanon will enter a phase of instability.

The Druze leader said that Aoun should have stayed outside Lebanon instead of returning back with an agreement with the Syrians, and with the Lebanese President Emil Lahoud, as he alleged.

Aoun, in particular, criticized Junblat and accused him of postponing his return back to Lebanon to arrange alliances.

Aoun, the former leader of the Lebanese army strongly criticized the chairman of the democratic renewal movement and member of Qurnet Shahwan, parliamentarian Nasib Lahoud, indicating the role played by the latter in the Taif agreement and accused him of involving in running the Syrian military campaign which toppled him in October 1990.

Previous Stories:
  Junblat: all Lebanese opposition are targeted   (6/11/2005)
  Lebanese Lt. Gen. Suleiman on Syrian sacrifices in Lebanon   (6/11/2005)
  Lebanese forces announce candidates   (6/9/2005)

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