Amid Troops and Tanks, Lebanese Vote for Lawmakers

BROUMMANA, Lebanon — With troops and tanks deployed in the streets, Lebanese Christians and Muslims voted Sunday in parliamentary elections that were hotly contested but unlikely to change the pro-Syrian character of the legislature.

Lebanon’s Christians, who largely boycotted parliamentary elections four years ago, joined Muslims in sizable numbers in voting that will ultimately fill all 128 seats in the half-Christian, half-Muslim parliament.

It was the second parliamentary election since the end of the 1975-90 civil war. The country is still rebuilding from the conflict, and its policies remain mostly under the control of Syria, which has 40,000 troops in Lebanon and is the main power broker.

One election-related death and 16 arrests were reported in fighting between supporters of rival Druse candidates, officials said.

About 656,000 Lebanese were eligible to vote in the Mt. Lebanon region in the central part of the country. There were 180 candidates contesting 35 seats--25 Christian, five Druse, three Shiite Muslim and two Sunni Muslim. The first results were not expected until today.

There will be regional voting on five successive Sundays to fill the entire parliament.

Right-wing Christians participated in greater numbers this time, with unofficial estimates of voter turnout ranging between 40% and 50% at different polling stations.