Lebanese began voting for a new parliament yesterday but few expected the election to loosen Syria's grip on their country.
More than 300 polling centres opened under tight security in the north and in Mount Lebanon, the Christian heartland, for the first round of voting for the 128-seat assembly. People in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley and the south, including areas occupied by Israel from 1978 until May this year, will go to the polls next Sunday.
In parts of Mount Lebanon, residents headed to the polls knowing that their votes could do little to take Lebanon from Syria's grip. "The next parliament will for sure be as pro-Syrian as the one before and the one to come," said Mr Walid Akl (45), a resident of Bikfaya.
However, many voters said they would not heed a call by three Christian parties to boycott the elections, preferring to change Syrian-Lebanese ties from within.
Interior Minister Mr Michel Murr, a staunch ally of Syria, told a news conference that no disturbances were reported.
However, the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections, an independent poll observer, reported several infractions. It said police had entered several polling stations and some voting centres were not equipped with curtains.