Second phase of Lebanese municipal vote goes to premier's party

May 10, 2010, 14:54 GMT

Beirut - The second phase of nationwide Lebanese municipal elections went to the list backed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri results showed Monday.

Lebanese are voting in three successive Sundays for 963 local councils and nearly 2,800 mayors.

Hariri's 'Beirut Unity' list swept the polls in the nation's capital, Beirut, during the second phase of voting. Lists supported by the Hezbollah-led Opposition won major seats in eastern Lebanon, the Interior Ministry said Monday.

Bilal Hamad, the new head of the municipality containing Beirut, declared victory for his 24-member alliance, vowing that the city council 'will serve all our people in the capital with full respect for political opinion.'

'The elected council is a homogenous team - We promise Beirut and its people that we will make them happy and we will be steadfast and transparent,' Hamad said.

Hezbollah and opposition Christian leader Michel Aoun had announced a limited boycott of the Beirut elections last week.

In the Bekaa region, the list backed by the Hezbollah-led opposition managed to snatch the votes in Zahle, a key region in eastern Lebanon. A supporter of that group - the Zahle Popular Bloc - said 'what happened in Zhale was a referendum and not an election.'

'This is not a victory for me, but a message from Zahle voters to politicians who lie,' said former opposition minister Elias Skaff, a Christian, in a reference to the Western-backed majority government.

Meanwhile, Aoun, who is a member of the Hezbollah-led opposition, voiced concerns about bribes allegedly paid by the majority to buy votes in eastern Lebanon.

'The afternoon voting rush on Sunday scared us because only that was when the distributing of money started,' Aoun told Lebanese media.

Aoun said he hoped that the last phases of the elections will continue in a calm security atmosphere.