Lebanese vote in high-stakes election

BEIRUT (Reuters/AFP) - Lebanese turned out in force on Sunday in a high-stakes and hotly-contested parliamentary election that pitted the Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hezbollah and its allies against a bloc that has US and Saudi support.
Interior Minister Ziad Baroud said after polls closed at 7pm (1600 GMT) that preliminary figures showed a turnout of more than 52 per cent, a high figure for Lebanon, where hundreds of thousands of the 3.26m eligible voters live abroad.
First results were expected within hours. How Hezbollahs main Christian ally, Michel Aoun, and his Christian rivals fare in the vote will largely decide the outcome.
Christians, nearly 40pc of the electorate, are divided between the two main political blocs, at odds over Hezbollahs guerrilla force, which outguns the Lebanese army, and ties with Syria, which dominated Lebanon for three decades until 2005.
Security was tight, with 50,000 troops and police deployed across Lebanon, especially in the most contested districts. Security sources said one person was wounded by gunfire in the northern city of Tripoli and there were brawls between rival supporters elsewhere, but no reports of serious fighting.
There were many reports of vote-buying before the poll, with some Lebanese expatriates being offered free air tickets home.
The anti-Syrian majority coalition, led by Sunni politician Saad al-Hariri, has enjoyed firm backing from many Western countries, as well as Saudi Arabia and Egypt, since the 2005 assassination of Hariris father Rafik al-Hariri. The coalition took power in an election following Hariris killing, but struggled to govern in the face of a sometimes violent conflict with Hezbollah and its allies.
Hezbollah candidate Ali Fayyad said the election expressed the free will of the Lebanese people. We must recognise the result out of respect for democratic values, the official National News Agency quoted him as saying.
Authorities appeared overwhelmed by the crowds of people who lined up at polling stations by early morning, with many Lebanese complaining of long waits of up three hours to cast their ballots during the largely trouble-free vote.
At stake is whether multi-confessional Lebanon, frequently used as a pawn in regional powerplays, keeps on a pro-Western course or takes a tilt towards Iran, which backs Hezbollah (the Party of Allah.)
Analysts predict a tight race for the 128-seat parliament, with the winner likely to clinch victory by just a few seats and probably have to form a coalition government with its rivals.
Democracy is a blessing we must preserve, a blessing that distinguishes Lebanon in the Middle East, said President Michel Suleiman after voting in his hometown of Amchit, north of Beirut. He urged Lebanese to vote calmly and with joy.
There were many reports of vote-buying before the poll, with some Lebanese expatriates being offered free air tickets home. But Baroud said the actual voting was proceeding normally.
If the Opposition wins, we can say goodbye to peace and a good economy and expect to be ruled by rockets, said Zuhair, 56, a Beirut resident. I used to support Hezbollahs arms - before they turned them on my hometown.
Others, however, said they wanted to do away with the majority as Hezbollah and its allies were the true defenders of the country.