Sa’ad A-Din Al-Hariri gained a sweeping victory in the first round of Lebanon’s general elections which took place on Sunday in the Beirut district, securing 19 parliament seats.
Al-Hariri is a Sunni Muslim who leads the anti-Syrian Al-Mustaqbal political bloc. He is the son of Rafiq Al-Hariri, Lebanon’s former prime minister who was assassinated on February 14 this year, causing a mass public protest against the pro-Syrian regime.
Syria completed its withdrawal from Lebanon this month, although some say Syrian intelligence elements are secretly located in Lebanon.
The elections were marred by a low voter turnout of 28 percent. About 420,000 voters are registered in Beirut.
The polls will continue every Sunday throughout June.
According to the Lebanese Daily Star, the low turnout was a likely result of the electoral law which was drawn up during Syria’s control of Lebanon and is perceived as favoring pro-Syrian politicians.