BEIRUT, Lebanon, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Lebanon's parliamentary elections, scheduled for May and widely seen as a new test for the country's main political players, remain in limbo amid uncertainty over whether they will be held on time or postponed - and whether they will bring about any meaningful change.
While it will be the first election since Iran-backed Hezbollah was significantly weakened during the recent war with Israel, it is unlikely to alter the current balance of power.
Officially, Lebanon says it is ready to proceed on schedule. Most political parties have publicly committed to the vote, with the number of declared candidates for the 128-member parliament rising to 44 as of Friday.
However, as with many other issues in the country, Lebanese are divided over the electoral law and proposed changes concerning expatriate voting and the establishment of mega-centers allowing voters to cast ballots outside their home districts.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Hezbollah's main ally and leader of the Shiite Amal Movement, has refused to bring the proposed amendments put forward by his and Hezbollah's political opponents to a vote.
