EXTRA: CONFUSION PREVAILS IN RESULTS OF BY-ELECTIONS
Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Germany
August 5, 2007 Sunday 8:15 PM EST
Beirut
DPA POLITICS Lebanon Elections EXTRA: Confusion prevails in results
of by-elections Beirut A pro-government candidate easily won a seat
in the Lebanese Parliament, based on initial reports late Sunday,
but confusion remained over the outcome of a second key by-election.
Unofficial results showed Mohammad Amin Itani won by a large margin
the Sunni Muslim seat in a Beirut district vacated by the June
13 assassination of parliament member Walid Eido.
But the result of a heated race to win the Maronite Christian seat in
the Metn region, left empty after the assassination of Pierre Gemayel
in November 2006, was still unclear as both candidates claimed their
victory.
Hardline Christian leader Michel Aoun, an ally of the opposition
led by the Shiite militant movement Hezbollah, announced that his
candidate had won the election.
A few minutes later, Lebanese former president Amin Gemayel claimed
victory for himself in the seat and declared, "There was a major
forgery in areas controlled by the Armenians (allies of Aoun), and
we demand the elections to be repeated in this district."
The vote in the Christian Metn district is a prelude to the upcoming
presidential elections between the ruling coalition and the opposition,
weeks before Parliament was due to elect a Maronite head of state to
replace the current pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud in November.
In the Metn area, former Amin Gemayel is seeking his slain son’s
seat on behalf of the ruling party, against candidate Camille Khoury,
loyal to Aoun.
"I call on the people of Metn to vote for the late Pierre Gemayel,"
Amin Gemayel said Sunday.
For the last week, tensions have been high in Metn, and several clashes
have been reported between Aoun and Gemayel supporters in the area.
Amin Gemayel and his anti-Syrian camp have accused Damascus of
masterminding the assassination of his son and several other anti-
Syrian politicians in the last two years.
The anti-Syrian ruling majority believes that Syria through its allies
in Lebanon is trying to reduce their numbers in parliament to regain
influence over Lebanon. Damascus has denied such allegations.
Shortly after the announcements by the Christian candidates, their
supporters started gathering in the Jedidah area in Christian East
Beirut, where ballots were being counted.
The rival factions were facing each other, and tensions were high as
the Army tried to prevent violence and separate the two groups.