Beirut, May 15 (AP): Lebanese voted for a new parliament on Sunday against the backdrop of an economic meltdown that is transforming the country and low expectations that the election would significantly alter the political landscape.
A new crop of candidates from the 2019 protest movement are running against the country's entrenched ruling class that is blamed for the collapse, hoping to unseat them. But they are divided and lack the money, experience and other advantages held by traditional political rulers with a decades-long grip on power.
People began casting their ballots shortly after the polls opened under the watchful eye of security forces that have fanned out across the country.
Sunday's vote is the first since Lebanon's implosion started in October 2019, triggering widespread anti-government protests.
It is also the first election since the massive August 2020 explosion at Beirut's port that killed more than 200 people, injured thousands and destroyed parts of Lebanon's capital.
The new parliament will also elect a new head of state after President Michel Aoun's six-year term expires at the end of October. Lebanon's parliament and Cabinet seats are equally divided between Muslims and Christians under the constitution that was drafted shortly before the civil war ended.
Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from news agency feeds and has not been edited by The Morung Express.
Source: PTI/AP
