Lebanon starts third round of parliamentary elections

Voters in Mount Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley started to cast their ballots Sunday morning for the third round of Lebanon's first parliamentary elections with no Syrian military presence.

A total of 1.2 million eligible voters aged over 21 are expected to cast their ballots to choose 58 representatives, among a total of 262 candidates, in the 128-seat parliament.

The will-be 58 lawmakers include 23 (14 Muslims and nine Christians) in the Bekaa's three districts and 35 (25 Christians and 10 Muslims) in Mount Lebanon's four districts.

Being the first ballot in Lebanon after Syria withdrew its troops after a 29-year presence, it was held on four consecutive Sundays from May 29 until June 19 in different constituencies across the country.

The opposition party led by son of the slain former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, Saad al-Hariri, 35, claimed a sweeping victory by winning the capital of Beirut's all 19 seats in the first round of the general elections.

The pro-Syrian Shiite alliance of Amal movement and Hezbollah won all the 23 seats in south Lebanon polls on June 5 in the second round of the legislative elections, Interior Minister Hassan al-Sabaa announced the official results at a press conference.

The elections are being held under international scrutiny with more than 100 foreign observers from the European Union and the United Nations present at the scene.

The Lebanese legislature's 128 seats, which will be shared equally by the Christian and Muslim communities, will serve a term of four years. Syria completed all troops withdrawal from its tiny neighbour on April 26 under intense international pressure and mass Lebanese protests following the assassination of Hariri on Feb. 14.

The death of Hariri, a Sunni and the major architect of Lebanon's post-civil war reconstruction, also plunged Lebanon into a political crisis and forced the resignation of its pro-Syrian government.

Source: Xinhua