A sectarian mosaics for the Lebanese elections

Some 780 ballot centers were installed in Beirut to elect 19 parliamentarians of whom 19 won unopposed before the beginning of the voting because of the absence of the competition while 26 candidates are competing over the ten remaining seats.

Among the winners (unopposed ) is the Druze leader Walid Junblat and Baheya al-Hariri, the sister of the late former Lebanese Prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri.

The voters in Beirut are distributed of three circles and their number, according to the figures of the ministry of the interior, tolled 420,000 ( 57.9% are Muslims; 40.8% Christians).

The 19th parliamentarians in Beirut are circulated in its three circles at the sectarian ground. They are 6 seats for the Sunni, four for the Armenians, two for the Shiite, two for the Greek Orthodox and one seat for each of the Maronite, the Druze, the Greek Catholic, the Anglicans and the minorities.

Parliamentary elections are being made in Lebanon for the first time since 30 years under the absence of the Syrian presence. The elections are held under the presence of 100 UN observers team led by the European Union. It is also attended by a delegation representing the Un and the Franchophonic organization.

After the voting round, three other rounds are expected to be held. The first one is in the south on June 5, in the Mount and the Bekaa on June 12 and in the north on June 19th.