31 May 2005

BEIRUT: While Saad Hariri's clean sweep of all 19 seats in Beirut didn't come as much of a surprise to the majority of Beirutis, it has left some with a sour taste in their mouths.

Mohammad Basiri, 45, said: "It wasn't much of an election as it was just one plate being served; Hariri sprinkled with what would seem to be a representative group of spices."

Basiri supports the Ahbash group, a fundamental Sunni group whose candidates were among the many who failed to defeat Hariri's lists.

Basiri didn't vote, and said he won't until he sees a real change in Lebanese elections where "all candidates have a fair run."

He added: "No more lists under one name. That is not democracy, and the small voter turnout is a reflection of the disappointment of people in the Lebanese elections."

Basiri was one of a few Ahbash followers who agreed to give his name, while others interviewed held their tongue, citing fear of "being attacked by Hariri supporters."

Security was tight around Al-Dewan supermarket - a vendor frequented by Ahbash members - with army troops on guard after witnesses reported clashes Sunday night between young supporters of Ahbash and Hariri.

Yet some areas in Beirut, such as Bourj Hammoud, appeared to have been untouched by the elections.

The predominantly Armenian neighborhood's Tashnag Party had called for a boycott of the elections due to the adoption of a disputed electoral law.

As a result Bourj Hammoud seemed stark naked in comparison to the other Armenian neighborhoods in the capital painted in Hariri posters and those of his candidates.

Rita, a 43-year-old Armenian merchant, said: "Our voices are not heard anyway, so why vote?"

She added: "Sadly, I don't see much of a difference after the Syrians left. It is the same people in power and the same people running the show; no new faces or any changes," recalling the 1992 election was the "fairest, as we got to pick who we wanted."

Meanwhile, for those who supported Hariri's list, Monday was a day for celebration.

Mirna Terk, 24, was one of the demonstrators at Martyrs' Square calling for the withdrawal of Syrian troops after the assassination of Rafik Hariri. She hit the streets once more Sunday night, but this time to cheer his son's decisive victory.

She said: "Hariri's is a well known and respected family, and so I believe Saad will continue the traditions of his father of rebuilding and educating those who can't afford to go to school."

She added: "All of my friends are celebrating [except for] some of my Christian classmates who were unhappy with the elections and didn't vote and would like the election law to change."

But other Beirutis, such as 80-year-old retired surgeon Ali Raad, feel Sunday's polls should be a lesson for voters "not to take things for granted."

Anxiously awaiting the polls in the North, where he is registered, Raad said: "I am with Saad Hariri like everyone else, but I will be more selective with the people on his list, as many of them are not really worthy of my vote."