Lebanon's most eagerly awaited parliamentary election in years kicks off in Beirut tomorrow. The polls, billed as Lebanon's first free elections in more than 30 years, are taking place just one month after the withdrawal of Syrian troops who occupied the country in 1976, shortly after the outbreak of the Lebanese civil war the year before. Tomorrow's ballot, the first in a series of four rounds ending on June 19, looks set to deliver a virtually uncontested victory for the election list of Saad Hariri, son of slain ex-Premier Rafik Hariri, whose assassination last February was the catalyst for uniting Lebanon's disparate political opposition and forcing an end to Syria's presence in the country.Hariri, who took over his father's political mantle following his assassination, has found himself assured of victory in the Beirut district because most of his political rivals decided not to contest the 19 seats available in the area. Hariri has aligned with maverick opposition figure, Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, along with other opposition groups, including the Christian Qornet Shehwan and the right wing Christian Lebanese Forces. Despite being assured of victory in Beirut, Hariri urged his supporters to go out and vote. He said: "Don't feel comfortable about expectations. Out of loyalty to Rafik Hariri I urge everyone to go out and vote."
But while the fate of Beirut's parliamentary seats looks sealed, a fierce electoral battle in Mount Lebanon, which goes to the polls on June 12, is on the cards. Opposition Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, who returned to Lebanon from a 15 year Syrian imposed exile earlier this month is running independently of the rest of Lebanon's opposition parties. But despite his strong antipathy toward Syria, Aoun has allied himself with pro-Syrian Druze politician Talal Arslan, an arch rival of Jumblatt. Jumblatt launched a scarcely veiled attack on Aoun yesterday accusing him of weakening the opposition by his actions. He said: "I wish the opposition didn't have to fight side-battles, but some factions did not want it to stay united and wanted to take over everything."