Sharjah 24 – AFP: Lebanon voted Sunday in its first election since multiple crises dragged it to the brink of failed statehood, a major test for new opposition groups bent on removing the ruling elite.
Observers have warned not to expect any seismic shift, with every lever of power firmly in the hands of traditional sectarian parties and an electoral system rigged in their favour.
After an underwhelming campaign stifled by the nation's all-consuming economic turmoil, queues of voters started forming when polling stations opened at 7:00 am (0400 GMT).
The army deployed across the country to secure a parliamentary election Lebanon's donors have stressed was a pre-requisite for financial aid crucial to rescue it from bankruptcy.
A new generation of independent candidates and parties are hoping to kindle the change that an unprecedented anti-corruption uprising in 2019 failed to deliver.
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