Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned today U.S. pressure on Lebanon could lead to turmoil and urged the Lebanese to unite and reject Washington's demands. Speaking during a meeting to commemorate the 16th anniversary of the death of Iran's revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, he said: "The Americans will push the country to strife if it doesn't go along with their priorities, agenda and arrangements. They want strife (in Lebanon)."Nasrallah's statements come as more than 300,000 voters from Sidon, Tyre and Jezzine will head to 634 polling stations on Sunday to elect their representatives in the South, after the completion of all administrative and security preparations. Politicians and citizens' rejection of the controversial pro-Syrian 2000 electoral law and the uncontested victory of some candidates in Sidon and Jezzine have prompted Christian voters to boycott the polls and Sunnis to participate without enthusiasm.
Shiites will be predominantly taking part in the elections, especially as the elections are viewed by the Amal Movement and Hizbullah as a referendum on the role of the resistance and the Shiites on the political scene. This is why Shiite voters are enthusiastic, as the elections will allow them to enhance their standing. But some Shiite figures such as Riad Asaad and leftist groups object to such a classification and are running in the elections to object to what they call the hegemony and confiscation of voters' will.