BEIRUT, June 6 (AFP) - Lebanon's political parties wrapped up their campaigns yesterday ahead of a high-stakes general election pitting pro-Western factions against an alliance led by Iranian-backed Hezbollah.
A series of rallies were staged around the country ahead of the midnight deadline to stop campaigning, with both sides warning voters that their ballots on Sunday will determine Lebanon's future course.
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| Lebanese youth dance at a nightclub in Beirut on May 23, 2009. A victory by the Hezbollah-led alliance in Lebanon's election will not usher in an Islamist regime or any other radical social or political change, despite international concerns, analysts say. AFP |
Thousands of expatriates flocked home, many flown in by political parties amid expectations that in a tight race their ballots may be decisive.
Security was tight, with 50,000 soldiers and police deploying country-wide from Friday to ward off any violence.
“I am confident everything will proceed smoothly,” Interior Minister Ziad Baroud told AFP.
Campaigning has been mostly free of the sectarian unrest that has plagued Lebanon for years, but there are fears of what could happen once the results are known.
“Given the animosity between the two sides, thank God it has been quiet overall,” a high-ranking security official said. “But we are bracing for after the vote because one side is bound to be unhappy.”
Former US president Jimmy Carter, leading a team of monitors, told journalists the vote should be made “honestly and peacefully”.
“One thing I hope to see is for everyone to accept the results of the people's will,” he said.
The vote will help determine whether the tiny Mediterranean country bordered by Syria and Israel continues to look West if the current Sunni-led majority wins or tilts towards Iran if Hezbollah and its allies win.
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