Low turnout in Beirut polls marred a sweeping victory for the son of slain ex-prime minister Rafik al-Hariri in Lebanon's first parliamentary election in three decades with no Syrian troops in the country.
Official results released today showed Saad al-Hariri's slate grabbing all 19 seats in the capital in yesterday's first stage of the staggered election to the 128-member assembly. Only 28 per cent of the 420,000 eligible voters turned out.
Many people in Beirut stayed away because Mr Hariri's victory was a foregone conclusion, with nine of the 19 seats falling unopposed to his bloc even before the vote.
Though he is a political newcomer, the win makes Mr Hariri, 35, a strong contender to lead the next government and pursue the political and economic policies of his billionaire businessman father, who was assassinated in Beirut on February 14.
Mr Hariri has avoided saying publicly if he wants the post.
Among major challenges facing Lebanon are redefining ties with Syria, international demands to disarm Shi'ite Muslim Hizbollah guerrillas and tackling a debt of $34 billion.
The vote follows two political earthquakes in Lebanon, Mr Hariri's killing in a bomb blast many Lebanese blamed on Damascus, and the end of Syria's 29-year troop presence.
Results announced by Interior Minister Hassan al-Sabaa showed Mr Hariri, a Sunni Muslim, won 39,500 of 42,000 votes cast in his constituency, the highest number in any of the 10 contested seats in the mainly Sunni Lebanese capital.
A pro-Syrian Shi'ite Hizbollah candidate on Mr Hariri's slate was the second highest vote-getter with 32,000.