DAMASCUS, Jun 08, 2009 (AFP) - Syrian newspapers on Monday said massive vote-buying and fraud deformed Lebanon's parliamentary election which was won by a pro-Western coalition, defeating a Hezbollah group backed by Tehran and Damascus.
The US-backed March 14 coalition "has been accused of having bought votes and using bribery," said Syria's ruling Al-Baath party daily, adding that "this could pave the way to large-scale falsication of the election."
Syria's independent Al-Watan daily commented: "The most important political ballot in Lebanon's history... and politically-tainted money has had the last word."
Unofficial results from Sunday's vote give the March 14 coalition around 71 seats in the 128 member parliament, with Hezbollah and its Shiite and Christian allies some 57 seats.
Official results are expected later on Monday.
"Election cash played a decisive role in the election result, because the (pro-Western) loyalists allocated a huge budget for vote-buying, for spending money in the polling booths... and in bringing expatriates (from the four corners of the planet) to vote," the mass circulation newspaper said.
Al-Watan concluded that these steps had fundamentally changed the election day figures compared to those forecast by opinion polls.
Members of Hezbollah also conceded defeat, with one politician saying it appeared voters had been spooked by fears that the Shiite Muslim group could impose an Islamist state in Lebanon.
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Copyright AFP 2009.
