Announcement of the results in the first phase of Lebanon's parliamentary elections has been further postponed because of continuing problems with the vote count in some electoral districts, state television said Monday.
The results will now be announced at 7:30 p.m. (1630 GMT), Tele-Liban said.
The final tally had originally been set for release at noon (0900 GMT) but was then put back to 5:00 p.m. (1400 GMT).
The outcome of the vote is being delayed, in part, by the remoteness of some of the villages voting and, in other cases, by candidates demanding a recount of very close calls.
According to press reports, critics of Lebanon's close links with Syria, led by Druze chief Walid Jumblatt, scored big gains in the Sunday vote in the Mount Lebanon region. In contrast, in the north of Lebanon, pro-Syrian factions are thought to have shared the spoils.
Voting will take place in the rest of the country on September 3rd -- BEIRUT (AFP)
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