GOVERNMENT supporters routed the opposition in the first round of Lebanon's parliamentary elections, winning 32 of 35 seats in the Mount Lebanon region, the Interior Minister, Mr Michel alMurr, has announced.
The results of Sunday's vote in the Christian heartland were a crushing blow for the opposition, which hoped for a strong showing against the pro Syrian government they accuse of failing to defend Lebanon's sovereignty. Many Christians ignored calls by hardline anti government leaders to repeat a massive boycott of the last elections in 1992, which resulted in a parliament packed with pro government deputies.
There was no immediate overall turnout figure for Sunday's vote, but Mr Murr, the interior minister, said that 49.5 per cent voted in Aley, one of the six Mount Lebanon districts, compared with an official turnout of 24 per cent there in 1992.
Opposition candidates expressed bitterness at the outcome, repeating charges of election fraud made by independent observers and opposition supporters on Sunday.
Mr Nasib Lahoud, a Maronite Christian and one of the three successful opposition candidates accused Mr Murr of coercing voters before and during the election, and demanded his resignation.
"It is unfortunate that the minister proved totally incapable of organising credible, free and fair elections in Lebanon. I think he should resign," he said.
All five government ministers in the race, headed by Mr Murr, won their seats easily. The others were the Foreign Minister, Mr Faris Bouez, the Druze leader, Mr Walid Jumblatt, the Electricity Minister, Mr Elias Hobeika, and the Health Minister, Mr Marwan Hamade.
Mr Albert Moukheiber, the chief opposition figurehead in the campaign, an 82 year old former deputy known for his strong criticism of Syrian influence in Lebanon, failed to win a seat.
. The Jordanian Prime Minister, Mr Abdul Karim al Kabariti, brushed aside calls for his resignation yesterday as security forces rounded up people across the kingdom in the wake of two days of riots.
The southern Jordanian town of Karak, centre of the unrest after the government doubled bread prices, was quiet yesterday.