Lebanon
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Miqati urges for high turnout Sunday, says voting 'gateway for change'

Prime Minister Najib Miqati urged the Lebanese Wednesday to cast their votes in the parliamentary elections on Sunday.

"Voting is a right and duty that one should not refrain from nor hesitate to perform," Miqati said.

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Lebanon: small, multi-religious country

Lebanon, a small Middle East country wracked by political and economic turmoil and the fallout of the decade-old Syrian conflict next door, holds parliamentary elections on May 15.

Here are some key facts about Lebanon.

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UN blames Lebanon govt., BDL for crisis, urges change of course

The "destructive actions" of Lebanon’s political and financial leaders are responsible for forcing most of the country’s population into poverty, in violation of international human rights law, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Olivier De Schutter, said in a report published Wednesday.

Urging the country to "change course," De Schutter accused the central bank of an "accounting sleight of hand regarding its losses... that covertly created a massive public debt... which will condemn the Lebanese for generations."

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Timeline of Lebanon's economic and political dire straits

Lebanon, which holds parliamentary elections on May 15, has been mired in a deep financial, economic and social crisis, aggravated by a political deadlock.

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Despite public anger, Lebanon elections set to entrench status quo

Lebanon's elections Sunday won't yield a seismic shift despite widespread discontent with a graft-tainted political class blamed for a painful economic crisis and a deadly disaster, experts say.

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Nasrallah says Hizbullah must be in any govt., majority-minority talk 'unrealistic'

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday stressed that his party should be represented in any future government, as he emphasized that Lebanon cannot be ruled in a unilateral manner regardless of who wins the parliamentary majority.

“We will keep insisting on being present in any government, regardless of its nature, structure and program, in order to protect the resistance's back,” Nasrallah told an electoral rally via video link.

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Saniora denies 'betraying' Hariri, says he'll stand by him if he returns

Ex-PM Fouad Saniora on Tuesday strongly dismissed accusations that he has “betrayed” ex-PM Saad Hariri by engaging in the electoral battle despite al-Mustaqbal Movement’s decision to boycott the vote.

“He who can accuse Saniora of betrayal is ‘yet to be born,’” Saniora said in an interview on MTV in response to a question.

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Berri slams 'corruption system' but warns of campaigns 'targeting resistance'

Parliament Speaker and Amal Movement leader Nabih Berri on Tuesday said he is in favor of “toppling the system of corruption” but warned that some are “exploiting the corruption issue” in order to “target the resistance” and the “values” of Hizbullah and the Amal Movement.

“In the name of the (Shiite) Duo, I say let the judiciary tackle corruption… We will not provide a cover for anyone,” Berri told a Hizbullah-Amal electoral rally via video link.

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LF sues Hizbullah over Baalbek-Hermel 'sectarian incitement'

The Lebanese Forces on Tuesday filed complaints against Hizbullah with the public prosecution and the Supervisory Commission for Elections, accusing the rival party of practicing “psychological and sectarian incitement and hostile mobilization” in the Baalbek-Hermel electoral district.

“Some of this party’s members, leaders and organized elements have waged media and rhetorical campaigns aimed at sowing discord among the elements of the nation and instilling terror and fear in citizens,” the LF charged.

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Geagea says Hizbullah's resistance behind current collapse, disasters

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has said that “the result of resistance as proposed by Hizbullah is the collapse and disasters we’re witnessing today.”

“Resistance is to live in dignity, but are you living in dignity today? They promise the people that they will fight the universe while our people are living ‘beneath the seventh ground,’” Geagea said, addressing the Shiite community in the Baabda district and entire Lebanon.

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