Lebanon's president issued a decree on Thursday confirming general elections would start on time on May 29 as demanded by the international community despite a row over the law organising the polls. In another significant move since Syria ended its 29-year military presence in Lebanon last week, a court suspended an arrest warrant for anti-Syrian former General Michel Aoun, paving the way for his return this week from 15 years in exile.
President Emile Lahoud had urged parliament on Wednesday to change the rules governing the ballot, especially over constituencies, which are seen to favour Syria's allies to the ire of the anti-Syrian Christian opposition.
But faced with a midnight deadline, Lahoud signed the decree that also stipulates the elections be held according to the controversial rules adopted for the 2000 poll after the speaker Nabih Berri failed to convene parliament to debate a new electoral law.
The dates of the elections, agreed by the government last week, would have been thrown in doubt had Lahoud not issued the decree on Thursday.
Lebanese pro-Syrian officials have been under international pressure to hold the elections on time despite a political crisis sparked by the February 14 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.
The term of the current assembly, dominated by pro-Syrian lawmakers, ends on May 31.
Lahoud, in a letter to parliament, said the 2000 law, which split Lebanon into constituencies in a way seen to favour Damascus's allies, was causing "sharp political dispute" that could lead to unbalanced representation.
The 2000 elections were held under the tutelage of Damascus.
Lahoud is a long-time Syrian ally, but he appears to be seeking favour among his own Maronite Christian community which largely opposes the 2000 law. The elections will be held in four rounds on May 29, June 5, 12 and 19 with residents of Beirut voting first.
The European Union announced on Wednesday night it would send a team of observers to Lebanon next week for the elections. The EU Election Observation Mission will consist of some 90 observers, the European Commission said in a statement. A United Nations elections expert arrived in Beirut on Thursday to help the government's preparations, officials said.
The arrest warrant against Aoun, a Maronite Christian, was issued in 2003 after he testified before the US Congress and called on it to pass a law imposing sanctions on Syria.
"I am proud of my testimony in front of the Congress for which I was charged," Aoun told LBC television from Paris shortly after the warrant was suspended.
Another court had a day earlier dropped charges against Aoun issued in 1990 which accused him of assaulting state security, national unity and the constitution, and embezzling state funds.
Geagea is serving multiple life sentences for political assassinations during the 1975-90 Lebanese civil war. Some 170 Aoun supporters returned from abroad on Thursday to take part in celebrations on his return to Beirut on Saturday.
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