Opposition politicians campaigned hard against Syria and its Lebanese allies Thursday, telling voters to reject pro-Syrian candidates in this weekend's elections which will decide the face of Lebanon's new parliament. In Sunday's polls in north Lebanon, voters will elect 28 legislators, and the anti-Syrian opposition needs to take 21 of these seats to win a majority in the 128-member legislature. The staggered elections began May 29 and finishes Sunday. From the northern mountains to the Mediterranean coastal cities, opposition politicians this week delivered one message: drive out the symbols of Syrian power and don't let them hold any seats. The theme focuses on resentment against Syria's 29-year military presence in Lebanon, which ended in April when the last Syrian troops withdrew following mass protests after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in February. "Say 'no,' a thousand 'noes,' to the intelligence regime (of Syria and Lebanon); 'no' to (Syrian) guardianship over Tripoli, the north and Lebanon," Saad Hariri, Rafik's son and political successor, told a crowd of thousands in the northern port of Tripoli on Thursday. The rally responded with roars of "Syria out!"
Competition picked up in north Lebanon this week after a strong showing by Michel Aoun in central and eastern Lebanon. Aoun, a Christian and former commander of the national army, broke with the main opposition groups early in the campaign and ran on an anti-graft ticket. His success in last weekend's polls threatened to jeopardize the opposition's plans to win a parliamentary majority. On Thursday, Saad Hariri spoke in Tripoli, a predominantly Sunni Muslim city, and criticized Aoun for allying himself in the north with an allegedly corrupt former Cabinet minister who is pro-Syrian. "How can they say they are fighting corruption while they are allying themselves with the head (of corruption)?" he asked. "To the people of the north, it is your responsibility to act. The north must rise and speak its mind."