Lebanon eyes change in polls
Lebanon yesterday voted in its first election since multiple crises dragged it to the brink of failed statehood, a major test for new opposition groups bent on removing the ruling elite. Observers have warned not to expect any seismic shift, with every lever of power firmly in the hands of traditional sectarian parties and an electoral system rigged in their favour. A new generation of independent candidates and parties are hoping to kindle the change that an unprecedented anti-corruption uprising in 2019 failed to deliver. Once described as the Switzerland of the Middle East, Lebanon ranked second-to-last behind Afghanistan in the latest World Happiness Index released in March. More than 80 percent of Lebanon's population is now considered poor by the United Nations. The Lebanese pound has lost 95 percent of its value and most of the population only gets two hours of electricity a day.
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