Lebanon polls close, counting starts

Interior Ministry reports record turnout in crucial elections, both camps display confidence as they prepare for announcement of initial results later this evening

Reuters|Published: 06.07.09 , 20:04

Lebanese voted on Sunday in a high-stakes parliamentary election that pitted Hizbullah and its allies, backed by Syria and Iran, against a bloc that has US and Saudi support.

Most polling stations closed at 7 pm, although some stayed open to clear queues of voters. The Interior Ministry said turnout had reached 46 percent before the close, exceeding the 45 percent total recorded in the 2005 election.

That is a high percentage for Lebanon, where hundreds of thousands of the 3.26 million eligible voters live abroad.

Vote counting began and first results were expected within hours, with both rival camps expressing confidence. The two sides are at odds over Hizbullah's guerrilla force, which outguns the Lebanese army, and relations with neighboring Syria, which dominated Lebanon for three decades until 2005.

Even if Hizbullah and its allies reverse their opponent's slim parliamentary majority, the likeliest outcome of the poll is another "national unity" government - perhaps with a small group of independents holding the balance, analysts say.

Brawls between rival voters

Security was tight, with 50,000 troops and police deployed across Lebanon, especially in the most contested districts.

Security sources said one person was wounded by gunfire in the northern city of Tripoli and there were brawls between rival supporters elsewhere, but no reports of serious fighting.

"Democracy is a blessing we must preserve, a blessing that distinguishes Lebanon in the Middle East," said President Michel Suleiman after voting in his home town of Amchit, north of Beirut. He urged Lebanese to vote "calmly and with joy."

Christians, nearly 40 percent of Lebanon's eligible voters, are divided between the two main political blocs and their votes are expected to decide the election.

Perhaps 100 of the 128 seats in parliament are already decided, thanks to sectarian voting patterns and political deals, with Sunni and Shi'ite communities on opposing sides.

But in Christian areas, former army commander Michel Aoun, an ally of Hizbullah, is up against the Phalange Party of former President Amin Gemayel and the Lebanese Forces of Samir Geagea.

Tensions in Lebanon have mostly been kept in check by leaders whose rivalries pushed the country to the brink of civil war last year. A thaw in ties between Saudi Arabia and Syria has also helped maintain stability in Lebanon in recent months.