Anti-Syrians heading for victory in Lebanon poll
Anti-Syrian candidates appeared to be heading to victory in the last round of elections in northern Lebanon, early election results showed.
A win would guarantee the anti-Syrian opposition the majority in the new parliament it needs to break Syria’s long hold on its neighbour.
Anti-Syrian opposition leader Saad Hariri’s supporters and a pro-Syrian leader acknowledged that outcome from the fourth and final round of elections in northern Lebanon yesterday even before the official results were out.
As news of the expected victory spread early today, women and children waved flags and danced on the streets of the port city of Tripoli, capital of the north. Motorcades of cheering, honking supporters drove through Beirut, the Lebanese capital, in celebration.
The latest developments capped months of political upheaval since the February assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Mass anti-Syrian protests sparked by his murder led to the Syrian army withdrawing from Lebanon in April, ending 29 years of dominance.
The opposition has blamed Syria and elements in the Lebanese security services loyal to Damascus for blowing up Hariri’s motorcade, killing him and 20 others on a Beirut street. Syria has denied involvement.
Saad Hariri, son of the slain former premier, needed to win at least 21 of the 28 seats at stake in the north Lebanon balloting after Christian leader Michel Aoun and his allies made a strong showing in a previous round in central Lebanon last week, denying the opposition a majority.
The Hariri camp refrained from declaring an outright win in the absence of official results, expected at midday today at the earliest. But an official in the Hariri camp said the opposition would probably sweep all the seats in the north.
“We’re ahead and we’re very optimistic,” he said.
In the first public reaction from the opposing tickets, backed by Aoun, the pro-Syrian Suleiman Franjieh, a Christian former interior minister, admitted the battle was all but lost.
A close friend of the family of Syrian President Bashar Assad and one of his greatest defenders in Lebanon, Franjieh said on Lebanese television: “We bow to the will of the people.”
The new 128-member parliament will face the challenge of healing the divisions resulting from the campaign. While the victory shakes off Syria’s long hold on the country, the opposition still has to deal with President Emile Lahoud, a staunch pro-Syrian who has rejected calls to step down.
