Lebanon holds 1st election in a decade

(MENAFN) After holding the last elections in 2009, Lebanon is set to hold its first parliamentary elections in almost a decade.

It changed the voting system, reduced the number of districts and allowed expatriate voting for the first time.

Hezbollah, the armed Shiite resistance group, is aiming at increasing its parliamentary representation.

Official results are not expected until tomorrow or Tuesday, but analysts expect early details to emerge tonight.

Tens of thousands of Lebanese citizens living aboard already cast their votes earlier this week " the first time such expatriate voting has been allowed.

Major issues facing the newly-elected parliament include the fate of a large number of refugees who have entered the country since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, and continuing economic difficulties

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