Without an election to shake up parliament" you will see more of the same", Geagea said.... It has stayed out of the cabinet since a popular uprising against the sectarian elite in 2019.... But the group was thrust back into the headlines when tensions over the probe erupted into the worst street violence in more than a decade last month, reviving memories of the country's 1975-90 civil war. Seven people, all followers of Hezbollah and its ally Amal, were killed....

Yet her enthusiasm was met by shrugs and resignation, reflecting widespread fears that the mid-May vote will only perpetuate the grim status quo.... The May 15 elections for parliament are the first since Lebanon’s economic meltdown began in late 2019.... The government’s factions have done virtually nothing to address the collapse, leaving Lebanese to fend for themselves as they plunge into poverty, without electricity, medicine, garbage collection or any other semblance of normal life....