Michel Aoun, who broke opposition ranks and challenged his former allies with the help of pro-Syrian groups, scored a clean sweep against rival Christian politicians in the third round of Lebanon's parliamentary elections on Sunday.

The opposition alliance, which led the campaign to force Syrian troops out of Lebanon in April, conceded that Aoun swept the board in constituencies reserved for Christians in both the central Mount Lebanon region and the eastern Bekaa Valley.

Druze leader Walid Jumblatt told public television that "I acknowledge that he (Aoun) won," though Jumblatt himself was re-elected unopposed in his fiefdom in the Chouf mountains.

He accused Aoun of serving Syrian interests, saying "they brought Aoun back to use him as an instrument of tension among the Christians."

Aoun had been forced by Damascus to spend 15 years in exile and only returned home last month after withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon under pressures from both the Lebanese opposition and West-led international community following the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.

Voters in Mount Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley started to cast their ballots Sunday morning to choose 58 representatives, among a total of 262 candidates, in the 128-seat parliament.

The 58 will-be lawmakers include 23 (14 Muslims and nine Christians) in the Bekaa's three districts and 35 (25 Christians and 10 Muslims) in Mount Lebanon's four districts.

Being the first ballot in Lebanon after Syria withdrew its troops after a 29-year presence, it was held on four consecutive Sundays from May 29 until June 19 in different constituencies across the country.

The opposition party led by Saad al-Hariri, son of the slain former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, claimed a sweeping victory by winning the capital of Beirut's all 19 seats in the first round of the general elections on May 29.

The pro-Syrian Shiite alliance of Amal movement and Hezbollah won all the 23 seats in South Lebanon polls on June 5 in the second round of the legislative elections, Interior Minister Hassan al-Sabaa announced the official results at a press conference.

The elections are being held under international scrutiny with more than 100 foreign observers from the European Union and the United Nations present at the scene.

The Lebanese legislature's 128 seats, which will be shared equally by the Christian and Muslim communities, will serve a term of four years.

(Xinhua News Agency June 13, 2005)