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Lebanon's Parliamentary Elections Kick-Off in Beirut
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(http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=DACE98:3919ACA

Observers expect son of Rafik Hariri to make strong showing in first
round of staggered elections





Saad Hariri, son of Lebanon's slain former Premier Rafik Hariri,
gestures during his visit to a polling station in BeirutVoting is
underway in Beirut in the first parliamentary elections to be held in
Lebanon in three decades, without the presence of Syrian forces.
Observers expect the son of Rafik Hariri, the slain former prime
minister, to make a strong showing in the first round of the staggered
elections. Thousands of Lebanese waited in line Sunday to cast their
vote during the first stage of the parliamentary elections beginning
in Beirut.

There are 19 out of a total 128 parliamentary seats for the Beirut
district, but nine of those were uncontested and have gone to
candidates running with Saad Hariri, the son of former Prime Minister
Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated in February.

The Hariri ticket is widely expected to sweep all of the seats for
Beirut, raising concerns that many of the 400,000 registered voters in
the capital might not go to the polls.

But a spokeswoman for fly-to-Lebanon, a non-profit organization
assisting Lebanese expatriates to return in order to vote, Amira Solh,
says citizens understand how important this election is.

"Lebanese have been aching to have this kind of ownership over their
government since the end of the war. This is something that should
have taken place in 1990-91, and it is taking place instead in 2005,
in the post-assassination of, whether liked or not, a strong leader in
Rafik Hariri," said Amira Solh.

The assassination of Rafik Hariri in February led to a public outcry
and pressure for the withdrawal of Syrian troops. The Syrian pullout
was completed last month. Saad Hariri, formerly a businessman, decided
to take on his father's political mantle.

Many of the 19 candidates on the new Hariri ticket ran in the 2000
elections with the former prime minister. Posters throughout Beirut
display images of the young Hariri with his father, and some people
have already referred to Saad Hariri as prime minister.

The elections take place by district over the course of four
consecutive Sundays, with the next elections taking place in South
Lebanon. This is the first time elections in Lebanon will be observed
by outside monitors, with teams from the United Nations and the
European Union on-hand for all four stages.


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