LEBANON: VOTERS GO TO POLLS IN SOUTH LEBANON IN COUNTRY'S FIRST GENERAL ELECTION SINCE SYRIAN MILITARY WITHDRAWAL
Record ID:
328769
LEBANON: VOTERS GO TO POLLS IN SOUTH LEBANON IN COUNTRY'S FIRST GENERAL ELECTION SINCE SYRIAN MILITARY WITHDRAWAL
- Title: LEBANON: VOTERS GO TO POLLS IN SOUTH LEBANON IN COUNTRY'S FIRST GENERAL ELECTION SINCE SYRIAN MILITARY WITHDRAWAL
- Date: 5th June 2005
- Summary: (BN08) NABATIYEH, LEBANON (JUNE 5, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. CAR WITH GREEN AMAL FLAG DRIVING BY 0.08 2. PEOPLE IN STREET 0.14 3. CAR WITH YELLOW HIZBOLLAH FLAG AND GREEN AMAL FLAG DRIVING BY 0.24 4. CAR WITH POSTER OF HIZBOLLAH CHIEF SHEIKH HASSAN NASRALLAH ON BONNET 0.48 5. SCU: MAN IN CAR WAVING YELLOW HIZBOLLAH FLAG AND SHOUTING 1.00 (W3) SUR AREA, LEBANON (JUNE 5, 2005) (REUTERS) 6. HEAD OF EUROPEAN UNION OBSERVATION TEAM JOSE IGNACIO SALAFRANCA WALKING IN 1.14 7. VARIOUS OF SALAFRANCA TALKING TO ELECTION OFFICIALS (3 SHOTS) 1.26 8. PEOPLE OUTSIDE 1.31 9. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) CANDIDATE OF HIZBOLLAH, MOHAMMAD FNEICH, SAYING: "This is what the people want. I think it depends on the strength of the list." 1.38 10. MORE PEOPLE OUTSIDE POLLING STATION, ONE WRAPPED IN OLD SOVIET UNION FLAG 1.46 11. WOMAN WALKING BY, CARRYING A CHILD 1.51 12. WOMAN AND SOLDIERS OUTSIDE POLLING STATION 1.56 13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF EUROPEAN UNION OBSERVATION TEAM JOSE IGNACIO SALAFRANCA SAYING: "I would like to say that after the impressions that we have received from our observers, everything - until this moment - seems normal." 2.04 (W3) KHIAM, LEBANON (JUNE 5, 2005) (REUTERS) 14. VARIOUS OF EXTERIOR OF POLLING STATION (2 SHOTS) 2.15 15. WOMEN IN HALLWAY 2.21 16. VARIOUS OF VOTING (2 SHOTS) 2.34 (W3) QLEYAA, LEBANON (JUNE 5, 2005) (REUTERS) 17. ZOOM IN: LEBANESE FORCES' SUPPORTERS WAVING FLAGS OUTSIDE POLLING STATION 2.46 18. CHILDREN WAVING FLAGS 2.51 19. SOLDIER OUTSIDE POLLING STATION 2.58 20. WOMAN VOTING 3.08 (BN08) SIDON, LEBANON (JUNE 5, 2005) (REUTERS) 21. BAHIA HARIRI (SHE IS STANDING FOR PARLIAMENT AND IS THE SISTER OF THE MURDERED FORMER PRIME MINISTER RAFIK HARIRI) 3.17 22. ZOOM IN: AMAL LEADER AND SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE NABIH BERRI VOTING 3.28 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 20th June 2005 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: SIDON, NABATIYEH, SUR AREA, QLEYAA AND KHIAM, LEBANON
- Country: Lebanon
- Reuters ID: LVA2V64OY1FQ8QC0YR4ZE36AGZRE
- Story Text: Syria's allies head for victory in south Lebanon poll.
Lebanese voters went to the polls on Sunday (June 5) in south
Lebanon, where Syria's staunchest allies Hizbollah and Amal were set to
triumph in the first general election since Syrian troops left the country.
Many in the Shi'te Muslim heartland see a vote for Hizbollah as a vote
for retaining the group's arms as resistance against neighbouring Israel
which occupied the south for 22 years.
Staunchly anti-Israel Hizbollah, which Washington labels a terrorist
group and the more moderate Amal are the dominant forces among the
Shi'ites, Lebanon's largest sect.
Voting got off to a slow start as the Amal-Hizbollah alliance, dubbed
the 'steamroller', had already won six of the 23 seats in the south by
default, due to a lack of challengers.
But Interior Minister Hassan al-Sabaa said turnout among the 675,000
eligible voters in the south was "good".
Damascus backed both Amal and Hizbollah during and after the 1975-1990
Lebanese civil war and Shi'ites largely stayed away from anti-Syrian street
protests that swept Beirut after the assassination on February 14 of former
Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.
The general election is spread by region over four weekends, with the
south divided into two large constituencies.
Opposition factions are expected to win in most parts of Lebanon,
buoyed by public sympathy over Hariri's death and by his son Saad's
landslide in the first round in Beirut last week.
But the key issue in the south is different.
The controversial question of disarming Hizbollah, as demanded by a
U.N. Security Council resolution, is probably the biggest challenge the
next parliament will face.
Banners in many southern towns urged voters to choose the
Amal-Hizbollah list as a rejection of international pressure to disarm the
guerrilla group, whose attacks were instrumental in driving Israeli forces from
southern Lebanon in 2000.
"Your vote is a bullet in the enemy's chest," read a banner
in the mainly Sunni city of Sidon, where turnout appeared low as both
seats had already been won by default.
Turnout appeared low in Christian areas, where supporters of staunch
anti-Syrian Michel Aoun handed out leaflets declaring that "democracy
has been burned in parliament".
It was significantly higher among Shi'ites, as Hizbollah and Amal
supporters clad in their yellow and green colours drove around blaring
patriotic songs and canvassing votes.
Only 28 percent of voters turned out in Beirut, many people saying
there was little point in casting a ballot when Saad al-Hariri's list was
almost certain to win.
An Amal-Hizbollah alliance won a landslide in the south in the last
general election in 2000, riding a wave of euphoria and support only
months after Israel ended its occupation.
Hizbollah has 12 members in the present 128-seat assembly.
But the opposition, expected to win a majority in the next parliament,
is split over the issue of Hizbollah's weapons. Some say it is time the
guerrilla group laid down its arms, but Hizbollah has vowed to fight any
effort to disarm it.
The polls took place despite the killing on Thursday of anti-Syrian
journalist Samir Kassir, which sparked renewed calls for the resignation
of pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud.
The murdered Hariri's sister, Bahia Hariri, is standing for parliament
and she said after voting on Sunday: "The issue of the resistance in
particular and the issue of Hizbollah's participation in political life, those
two issues are basically part of an internal detente.
Such detente will be part of an internal dialogue and things will be
resolved amongst partners Amal leader and parliament speaker Nabih
Berri urged voters on the eve of the polls to turn out in force,
after a feeble showing marred the first phase of polling in Beirut
last week -- won decisively by anti-Syrian candidates.
Those protests, which united Christians, Sunnis and Druze, forced
Syria to bow to world pressure and end its 29-year military presence
in Lebanon in April.
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