LEBANON
<strong>Voters aim to ‘slap’ leaders</strong>
Lebanese yesterday voted in their first parliamentary election since the country’s economic collapse, with many saying they hoped to deal a blow to the ruling politicians they blame for the crisis. The election, the first since 2018, is seen as a test of whether the heavily armed, Iran-backed Hezbollah and its allies can preserve their parliamentary majority amid soaring poverty and anger at parties in power. However, while analysts believe public anger could help reform-minded candidates win some seats, expectations are low for a big shift in power, with Lebanon’s sectarian political system skewed in favor