May 29, 2005
THE MIDDLE EAST THAT W MADE:
Lebanon launches landmark polls (BBC, 5/29/05)
Lebanese voters are going to the polls for the first of four rounds of voting in the parliamentary election.The poll is the first in 30 years to be held without the presence of the Syrian military on Lebanese soil.
Troops withdrew last month after huge pressure sparked by the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, for which Syrians were widely blamed.
Correspondents say Mr Hariri's son Saad and his allies are poised to win the poll and dominate the new parliament.
As it becomes just another Middle Eastern democracy. Posted by Orrin Judd at May 29, 2005 10:13 AM
Hariri's Son Declares Clean Sweep in Beirut Elections
By ZEINA KARAM, AP
BEIRUT, Lebanon (May 29) - It was Rafik Hariri's day in Beirut, and voters in the Lebanese capital turned out, albeit in small numbers, to pay tribute to the leader whose assassination triggered international anger and street protests that ultimately drove the Syrian army out of Lebanon.
The party led by Saad Hariri, the son of the assassinated former premier, was celebrating what they claimed was a victory Sunday night, after his Future TV station reported the campaign had declared a clean sweep of Beirut's 19 parliamentary seats.
After polls closed, Interior Minister Hassan Sabei said unofficial results showed voter turnout in Beirut was about 28 percent compared with 35 percent in the 2000 parliamentary elections.
Posted by: Michael Herdegen at May 29, 2005 6:18 PM