After two months of fierce political battle over the Beirut local elections, the proclamation of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's list for the capital on Thursday marked the practical end of this political struggle and the beginning of a purely municipal electoral process, likely to be completed in 10 days with no major surprises.

The proclamation of Hariri's list - after a long night of Syrian mediation on Wednesday with the premier in Qoreytem - seemed to indicate that some kind of an understanding had been reached between the various parties concerned with Beirut's elections. It seemed unlikely that Hariri would have challenged Damascus by announcing his list the very next day, if he had not managed to convince Syrian officials of the reasons pushing him to refuse in particular the Phalanges candidate on his list - a point that constituted the last obstacle in the way of an entente in Beirut.

The compromise reached on Wednesday night consisted in excluding the Phalanges candidate from the list in return for the appointment of three Sunni candidates, rather than only two, from outside of Hariri's clan. After former MP Salim Hoss refused earlier this week to participate in the premier's list for the capital, it remained uncertain whether or not the seat left empty by his retrieval would go back to Hariri, giving the premier a total of six seats over only two for other Sunni groups. But while Hariri remained firm on his rejection of the Phalanges candidate, he accepted a bargain on the Sunni seat, which was finally given to the Ahbash Sunni faction.

Hariri explained that his refusal of the Phalanges candidate stemmed from his conviction that no contender supported by head of the Phalanges Party Karim Pakradouni had a chance to make it in the elections. Hariri argued that the Sunnis will vote massively against him, taking into account the deep dislike most Sunnis feel for Pakradouni.

Hariri's argument was that Muslim electors would probably vote for a Sunni candidate to replace the Phalanges contender, which would in turn disturb the sectarian balance within the Beirut municipal council.

This point in particular seemed to have convinced the Syrian mediators, amid Damascus' commitment to guarantee a fair confessional balance, and, more particularly, a sound Christian representation.

But what Hariri appeared most concerned about was assuring a full victory with no loopholes in Beirut, which could later be used as a means to pressure Damascus' choice of the next president. More than ever before, the premier looked determined to prove his supremacy as a Sunni leader, but also as a national figure capable of guaranteeing the rights of the Christians as well as those of the Muslims. With the exclusion of the Phalanges candidate, these plans seemed to be on the right track. Even Hariri's competitors in the capital estimate that the premier's list is most likely to "win it all" on May 9.

Contrary to mounting speculation over the past period that the premier was seeking to step out of the political game at this last phase of the presidential term, Hariri is more determined than ever before to stay in power - and to show the extent of his power - until the November presidential deadline. According to government sources, Hariri considers that fighting against the extension or renewal of President Emile Lahoud's term from inside the political arena would be much more efficient than from outside it.

But there seems to be one major obstacle to Hariri's strategy: Damascus has reportedly still not found an acceptable substitute for Lahoud.