Lebanese election scene takes shape

BEIRUT, Lebanon, April 3 (UPI) -- The number of candidates for the Lebanese parliamentary election has reached 270 as an April 7 deadline for electoral lists looms.

The Lebanese Interior Ministry has imposed an April 7 deadline for political organizations to submit their lists for the June elections. That list has so far reached 270 candidates competing for 128 seats, the Lebanese Daily Star reports.

The report comes as several major political blocs in Lebanon announced their lists and launched campaigns in recent weeks. Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of the Lebanese Hezbollah, gave a major televised speech this week unveiling his platform and a list of 11 candidates for the party ticket.

Observers predict a close race for the June elections between members of the pro-Western March 14 alliance and the March 8 coalition, which includes Hezbollah.

Ibrahim Halabi, a candidate for a Sunni seat in Beirut, issued a stark warning for the aftermath of the elections.

"This has put the country before two possibilities: the opposition winning the majority by a slight margin and forming a national unity cabinet, or the March 14 alliance winning by a slight margin and monopolizing the governing process," he said, adding that in either case "a crisis will immediately take hold after the elections."