As election officials waited in vain for a rush to the ballots that was never to materialize, Beirutis decided to celebrate their countries first free elections for three decades by heading to beaches across the country. As expected, Saadine Hariri's list swept all 19 seats in Lebanon's capital, although it is a shallow victory marred by voter apathy. Sundays vote was a formality; many opposing candidates dropped out of the race, a farce that has seen Hariri's list gain 9 seats without a vote being cast. If Sundays vote was seen as a referendum on Hariri, the estimated 28 percent turnout would have done little to inspire confidence.

EU and UN official's trumpeted horns of praise at Sundays free elections, as special envoy Terje Roed Larson proclaimed them a success, however, attention could not be diverted from the overwhelming absence of voters. The waves of demonstrations that draped the city in March are confined to folk law now, as the opposition look within to comprehend their diminished popularity. Even Hariri's attempt to portray his bloc as a continuation of his late father's legacy could not stir the voters into action.

Sunday's low turnout could be interpreted as complacency by voters due to the guaranteed success of Hariri's list, or a boycott against the opposition for not fulfilling their promises to create a unified Lebanon. Given events in recent weeks the latter seems more plausible. Student voters have been dismayed at the lack of harmony inside the opposition camp, a feeling which can only be described as betrayal, as squabbling among members reached fever pitch in the run up to the elections. As in the past, little attention was paid to voter concerns, such as ways to tackle the spiraling of Lebanon's dept, unemployment, as well as many unresolved social issues such as the Palestinian question. Instead the run up to the elections was dominated by sectarian strife and jostling for position in order to retain control of Parliamentary seats.

The Christian community also remained divided as ever, a reflection of the state of their politicians as they failed to reach a consensus on how to approach these elections. Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement failed to agree joint electoral lists with the opposition, hence his decision to run with Jumblatt's arch rival Talal Arslan in the Aely-Baabda district. Aoun's alliance epitomizes the two fold nature of Lebanon's politicians, Aoun a staunch anti-Syrian figure, has allied himself with Arslan, a pro Syrian politician. In this some what humorous alliance Aoun has inadvertently ratified his own reservations about politicians in Lebanon, as he lashed out at Jumblatt and Hariri for betraying their principles and forming electoral alliance with the sole purpose of gaining Parliamentary seats, a maneuver that Aoun himself is now privy too. It is highly unlikely that this alliance is anything more than a coalition of convenience, one that will diminish once the elections are over.

If the electoral maneuvering was not enough to discourage the public to vote, the divided stance towards the electoral law added to the publics dismay. The law which Maronite Patriarch Butros Sfeir has called invalid as it discriminates against Christians has served as the splinter that divides the Christian community. While most sects in Lebanon now acknowledge that this law is unjust, the mixed messages coming out the opposition entrenched the divide that has marred the elections and created dismay among their followers. Jumblatt and Hariri insisted on holding elections on time despite their reservations of the law, however, failure to reach an acceptable compromise with their Christian colleague's accounts for the desperately low turnout among Christian voters in Beirut. Although the Qornet Shehwan group and the Lebanese Forces led by Geagea agreed on a joint list with Hariri and Jumblatt, their constant criticism of the electoral law may have contributed to voter apathy among Christians. They created a sense of despair among their followers, due to a law which they claim discriminates against the Christian population. This lack of conviction among leaders is stifling their progress, as one can't expect the public to vote in an election that is deemed hopeless by their leaders. Furthermore, supporters of Aoun were seen handing out leaflets urging voters to boycott Sunday's polls, while Lebanese Forces members were encouraging voters to participate. This encapsulated the sharp divide among Christians which is leading many of the public to abstain from casting votes in the election.

Hariri's impending victory in Beirut may be a sign of things to come for the opposition in the weeks ahead, victory without substance, as voters turn their back on leaders they turned out in unprecedented numbers to support.

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