BEIRUT, 25 May 2005 — Signaling the breakup of the anti-Syrian coalition, Christian leader Michel Aoun announced yesterday he will field his own candidates in upcoming parliamentary elections and lashed out at his Muslim opposition allies for helping Syria dominate Lebanon in the past decades.

“We are the only ones who are not Syrian symbols. The rest are all one way or another Syrian symbols,” said Aoun, who returned May 7 from 14 years’ exile in France.

The split between one-time allies is not likely to alter results, which experts expect to end in the defeat of the pro-Syrians, but it could spell the end of the unusually strong cooperation across sectarian lines that helped drive Syria out.

It is also sure to energize a so far stale campaign marred by withdrawals of candidates and triumph of others uncontested.

Aoun, a former army commander who fought and lost a “war of liberation” against the Syrian Army in Lebanon in 1989 before going into exile, regards himself as the “real opposition” — in contrast to politicians he has said were Syria’s allies but turned on Damascus because of recent changes in popular sentiment.

At a packed news conference at his home northeast of Beirut, Aoun said he will run for a seat, but did not say where. “We’ve decided to wage the election and the decision will be for the Lebanese,” said Aoun.

The anti-Syrian opposition, which united Christians and Muslims against Syria after the February assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri, is now hoping to end Syria’s control of Parliament. The staggered elections begin Sunday and run through the following three Sundays.

The elections are Lebanon’s first parliamentary vote since domestic and international pressure forced Syria to withdraw its troops and intelligence agents from its tiny neighbor.

Aoun’s decision to go it alone is certain to motivate voters and candidates. The election race has so far been marked by deals among influential politicians that produced joint tickets expected to sweep the elections, causing many candidates to withdraw from the race. In Beirut, for instance, nine opposition candidates on the 19-member ticket of Saad Hariri, the son of the slain former premier, have already won uncontested Parliament seats.

Bechara Charbel, editor in chief of the Al-Balad daily, said Aoun’s announcement “reshuffles the cards inside the ranks of the opposition and eliminates any clear cut lines between the opposition and loyalists.” It also breaks the monopoly of some factions over the elections in favor of a “real and democratic race,” he said.

Charbel said the anti-Syrian opposition came together temporarily to achieve the higher goal of a Syrian troop withdrawal and now it was “natural” for them to disagree over local politics.