Posted on 06/12/2005 5:22:40 PM PDT by Alex Marko
ALEY, Lebanon (Reuters) - Anti-Syrian politician Michel Aoun, who has just returned from exile, scored a stunning victory against rival Christian politicians on Sunday in the most crucial round of Lebanon's parliamentary elections.
The former general's surprise win was a major blow to the existing Christian opposition and its hopes of securing strong representation in the new 128-seat parliament and charting a new course away from Syrian influence. Lebanon's highly factionalized elections, held over four weekends ending June 19, are set to usher in an assembly with more legislators opposed to Syria for the first time since the 1975-1990 civil war.
Unofficial results showed candidates backed by Aoun clinched 15 of 16 seats up for grabs in Sunday's third round of the elections in the Maronite Christian heartland northeast of Beirut. There was no Aoun-allied candidate running for the last seat, won by the opposition's Pierre Gemayel.
Aoun, who launched a failed "war of liberation" against Syrian forces in Lebanon in 1989, was forced into exile after Syrian forces crushed his revolt in 1990.
He spent 14 years in France before returning back in May, two weeks after Syrian troops left. During his exile, he lobbied for international pressure to force Syria out, claiming some credit for a September 2004 U.N. resolution demanding just that.
Aoun's supporters say he is untainted by years of corruption under Syrian tutelage since the civil war and accuse the opposition of trying contain his influence. He fell out with other anti-Syrian leaders after returning.
"I believe it is a victory because all political forces sided together against us alone," said Aoun, who has campaigned on a platform of reform and vowed to fight corruption.
"The opposition has no program, it has nothing."
But candidates of the former general looked set to lose to a list backed by Druze chieftain Walid Jumblatt in the mixed Baabda-Aley district, where 11 seats are being contested.
Jumblatt's list won all eight seats in his mainly Druze mountain stronghold of Shouf.
The son of assassinated former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri suffered a setback in Zahle, a mainly Christian constituency in the eastern Bekaa Valley, where he has no traditional base. Aoun has one candidate on the winning list.
Hm. I was kind of waiting for someone else to respond, since I don't know much about the situation in Lebanon. But this seems pretty significant, considering the Christian heritage of the country....
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
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