BEIRUT: Lebanese voted in the largest numbers in years yesterday in a hotly contested election that could see an alliance led by Hezbollah defeat the Western-backed majority in Parliament.
Preliminary estimates put turnout at more than 52 percent, well above the 45.8 percent recorded in the last parliamentary election four years ago and the largest since at least the end of the 1975-91 civil war.
“Voter turnout exceeded all expectations, particularly early in the morning,” Interior Minister Ziad Baroud told a news conference after polls closed.
The minister told AFP he hoped all parties would respect the outcome of the election, which international observers pronounced as fair.
At stake is whether multireligious Lebanon keeps on a pro-Western course or takes a tilt toward Iran, which backs Hezbollah. As the count got under way, analysts predicted that just a handful of seats were likely to separate the rival blocs in the battle for control of the 128-seat Parliament.
The Christian vote, which is divided between the two camps, is likely to be crucial.
About 50,000 police and soldiers were on patrol nationwide to prevent any polling day violence and there were no reports of any serious problems. Three people were arrested for using fake identity cards and the army intervened in the mostly-Christian eastern city of Zahle after some voters traded insults and blows.
International observers said most problems seemed to have been the result of the high turnout. “There were certainly long waiting lines because turnout was high,” said John Sununu, a former US senator overseeing the election with the National Democratic Institute headed by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
“But there don’t seem to have been any grave violations,” Sununu said.
Beirut resident Zuhair, 56, expressed fear of a victory for Hezbollah and its allies. “If the opposition wins, we can say goodbye to peace and a good economy and expect to be ruled by rockets,” he said.
Others, however, said they wanted to do away with the majority as Hezbollah and its allies were the true defenders of the country.
“I hope the Hezbollah alliance wins but whatever the outcome the two sides must work together,” said Alef Mohsen, 22, a resident of the southern town of Qlayleh near the Israeli border.
Israel, which fought a devastating war with Hezbollah in 2006, warned that victory for the group would pose a danger to the entire region. “Lebanon will become a terror state,” said Interior Minister Eli Yishai.
The United States, which blacklists Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, has warned that continued military aid will hinge on the shape of the new government.
Lebanon’s neighbor Syria said the election was a chance for voters to throw their weight behind the anti-Israeli resistance represented by Hezbollah.
Former US President Jimmy Carter, who is heading a team of international observers, said he hoped Lebanon’s political parties and their foreign backers would accept the outcome. “We don’t have any worries over the conduct of the elections,” Carter said. “We have concerns over the acceptance of the results by all the major parties.”
