Lebanese parliamentary election turnout exceeds 41 percent

Counting votes during the Lebanese parliamentary elections at a polling station in BeirutCAiro, May 15.The turnout in the parliamentary elections in Lebanon, according to initial data, exceeded 41%, the count has not yet been completed at 60 polling stations, the Lebanese TV channel LBC reported, citing the country's Ministry of Internal Affairs. Elections to the House of Representatives (parliament) were held on Sunday in Lebanon against the backdrop of an acute economic crisis. 3.9 million eligible voters were eligible to vote.Former Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri announces temporary retirement from politics»According to the Ministry of the Interior, the final percentage of the vote so far has reached 41.04%, with the exception of 60 polling stations that have not yet closed,» reports LBC. Final results, rather total, will be announced on Monday, the day following the elections. Several conflict situations were reported between political rivals in different regions of Lebanon. So, according to the MTV channel, in the city of Zahla in the Bekaa province on Sunday there was a clash between supporters of the Shiite movement Hezbollah and the Christian party Lebanese Forces. Voting was suspended for half an hour due to a fight in the nearest polling station. The El-Nashra portal reported that in the village of Ar-Rasiya in the Bekaa there was a clash between supporters of two Christian parties — the Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement, the founder which is the current President of Lebanon, Michel Aoun. There are 718 candidates for 128 seats in parliament, while the seats are distributed according to ethno-confessional criteria among 11 groups. For example, Sunni Muslims and Shiite Muslims each have 27 seats, while Maronite Christians have 34. Earlier, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced that he would not run for parliamentary elections. An influential Lebanese politician and former Prime Minister Saad Hariri also said that there would be no candidates from the Mustaqbal party he leads in the elections. Lebanon has been in a deep financial and economic crisis for more than two years, which is accompanied by political and social tensions. Against the background of the crisis, the banking system was almost completely paralyzed, the national currency depreciated more than 20 times against the dollar. As a result, more than 70% of the population fell below the poverty line.The Somali parliament did not elect a president in the first round of elections, media reported