[Mb-civic] CBC News - HARIRI'S SON POISED FOR WIN IN BEIRUT POLL

[CBC News Online]

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HARIRI'S SON POISED FOR WIN IN BEIRUT POLL  
WebPosted Sat May 28 12:09:51 2005

beirut---People in Lebanon will begin voting this weekend in the first
parliamentary elections since Syria ended its 29-year troop presence.

The voting will take place in four regions over the next four consecutive
Sundays, beginning in Beirut.

Saad al-Hariri, the son of Lebanon's assassinated former prime minister,
is seen as a favourite to win in the Lebanese capital.

The last Syrian soldier left in April in a withdrawal that began after
weeks of public protest rallies, triggered by the bombing that killed
Rafik Hariri last February.

The United Nations and European Union have sent monitoring teams to
observe the elections.

Polls will open on June 12 in the Bekaa Valley and Mount Lebanon, and on
June 19 in northern Lebanon.

In a New York Times interview, the man who is leading an independent
campaign against the Hariri list of candidates is calling the
election a farce.

Adnan Arakji says a 20-day campaign is not enough time to talk
about issues.

He said candidates have only been concerned about forming alliances and
not taking the time to talk to voters.

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