Lebanon's Elections

Lebanon will head to the polls on June 7 in an election that could alter the political fabric of the country, with Hezbollah and its allies poised to make significant gains. Hezbollah is pitted against the current anti-Syria majority. The robust campaign has split Lebanese voters. On a visit to Lebanon in late May, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden – the highest-level U.S. official to visit Lebanon in over two decades – warned that U.S. aid would be dependent on the outcome of the elections. Hezbollah is backed by Iran and Syria, while the U.S. and its allies support the current parliamentary majority, who came to power in the previous election after Sunni leader and former prime minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated in 2005. Worldfocus.org’s weekly radio show on Tuesday, June 2 at 6:30 p.m. EDT will examine the issues and implications of Lebanon’s election, looking back to the country’s turbulent history and forward to a potentially new political landscape.