Mired in crises, Lebanese begin voting for new parliament
ABC News
Polls have opened in Lebanon for the election of a new parliament
BEIRUT -- Lebanese headed to polling stations early Sunday to elect a new parliament against the backdrop of an economic meltdown that is transforming the country and low expectations that the voting could bring meaningful change.
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.
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 August 2020 massive explosion at Beirut’s port that killed more than 200 people, injured thousands and destroyed parts of Lebanon’s capital. The blast, widely blamed on negligence, was set off by hundreds of tons of poorly stored ammonium nitrate that ignited in a port warehouse after a fire broke out at the facility.
