Free Republic

Lebanese voters went to the polls yesterday at the start of the first parliamentary election in 30 years that has not been marred by civil war or heavy-handed Syrian meddling. The campaign, led by Saad Hariri, 35, the son of Rafik Hariri, the former prime minister who was assassinated in February, was celebrating victory after incomplete results showed it had swept Beirut's 19 parliamentary seats. The official results are not due until today, and voting in the rest of the country is still to come. But a government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to the Associated Press that...

Rafik Hariri's widow was among the first to vote A leading opposition bloc in Lebanon says its candidates have won all the seats in the capital, Beirut, in a landmark parliamentary election.Beirut voters took part in the first poll to be held for more than 30 years without Syrian troops in the country. People in the rest of Lebanon will cast ballots over the next three Sundays. The anti-Syrian opposition in the capital is led by Saad Hariri, the son of the assassinated former Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri. Syrian troops withdrew last month, following a wave of opposition protests...

Rafik Hariri's widow was among the first to vote Voters in Lebanon have taken part in the first parliamentary elections to be held for more than 30 years without Syrian troops in the country.The first round was confined to the capital, Beirut. Voting will take place elsewhere over the next three Sundays. Syrian troops withdrew last month following a wave of opposition protests blaming Damascus for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Mr Hariri's son Saad and his opposition allies seem set to win seats in Beirut. The BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says turnout appears to...

Lebanon's first parliamentary polls without heavy-handed Syrian meddling began Sunday, and loyalty to the former premier whose assassination catalyzed the political turmoil that drove Syrian forces out was displayed at the capital's ballot boxes. ‘snip’ Many observers expect voters will sweep the anti-Syrian opposition to power and install a new parliament, removing the last of Syria's political control. Syrian forces withdrew in April, ending a 29-year military dominance, after mass demonstrations in Lebanon and relentless international pressure sparked by the February assassination. This is the first election where Syrian or Lebanese intelligence agents or their allies do not appear to...