Vote-buying Changed Lebanese Poll Results
Syrian newspapers on Monday said massive vote-buying and fraud deformed Lebanon”s parliamentary election which was won by the March 14 forces.
The March 14 coalition "has been accused of having bought votes and using bribery," said Syria”s ruling Al-Baath party daily, adding that "this could pave the way to large-scale falsification of the election."
Al-Baath said Sunday that the election was a chance for voters to throw their weight behind the anti-Israeli resistance as represented by Hizbullah.
Syria”s independent Al-Watan daily commented: "The most important political ballot in Lebanon”s history… and politically-tainted money has had the last word."
The March 14 coalition got 71 seats in the 128-member parliament, with Hizbullah and its allies getting 57 seats.
"Election cash played a decisive role in the election result, because the (pro-Western) loyalists allocated a huge budget for vote-buying, for spending money in the polling booths… and in bringing expatriates to vote," the mass circulation newspaper said.
Al-Watan concluded that these steps had fundamentally changed the election day figures compared to those forecast by opinion polls.