The Lebanese people are hoping that most of these attacks and counter attacks are election rhetoric only.

Aoun is attacking Jumblatt and Hariri.

Accused Jumblatt of inciting civil war.

Accused Hariri of using his wealth to bribe the northern voters to vote for his bloc.

Accused Hariri of inciting religious unrest by attacking Aoun's campaign in the north as a Maronite invasion.

Jumblatt is accusing Aoun of trying to bring Syria back. Threatened to make public Aoun's files before he was exiled to France.

Aoun is defending Syria and its intelligence agents, in response to attacks by Jumblatt who named the Syrian intelligence agents still active on the Lebanese soil.

Aoun has attacked the Lebanese Interior Minister Hassan Al Sabaa, for confirming the presence of the Syrian agents. One of the Syrian agents named by Sabaa is named "Asfour". (In Arabic Sabaa means Lion and Asfour means bird). Aoun said Sabaa has no excuse for letting Syria's agents remain in this country. If he really is a Sabaa (Lion), he should have no problem in handling a Asfour (Bird).

The election in the North is turning dirty.

Election alliances are also beginning to break apart.

Dinniyeh MP Ahmad Fatfat, who manages Hariri's campaign in Akkar, announced: "We will not vote for Speaker Nabih Berri and the majority we control will elect another Shiite figure to replace him."

Hariri, Jumblatt, Hezbollah and Berri formed an alliance, the day election law was to be debated and declared their support for the 2000 (election )law. This alliance forced this law on these elections.

Aoun is trying to punish Hezbollah for taking sides in the" mother of all battles" in Baabda- Aley elections. He is now calling for disarming Hezbollah, while the opposition is calling for the support of this organization and for a dialogue.

These attacks and counter attacks are a far cry from the days of the Cedar Revolution in February and March. Gone are the unity slogans . Pro Syrian politicians are now actively campaigning with General Aoun and some may be back in power. Syria must be having the last laugh.

The new parliament will be divided and so will the country too. None of the alliances will be able to have any sizable majority.

Aoun addressed voters in the north when he said, you have a choice between:

- Traditional politics embodied in people like Hariri
- Or reform and change of FPM ( free patriotic movement)

Ex president Amine Gemayel and MP Boutros Harb, of the Kornet Shahwan gathering met today in the northern town of Koura. They accused Aoun of hijacking the program of "reform of change" that was declared by the gathering after their first (hotel) Bristol meeting. Kornet Shahwan gathering is allied with Saad Hariri in these elections.

Aoun "the general" is appealing to the military people of Akkar region. Since Akkar suffers from very poor economic conditions, many of the people there have joined the army. Aoun's strategy is to capitalize on his military background, by offering to raise the salaries of the military people

Aoun declared today that he is "proud of dividing the opposition".

Saad Hariri was very busy campaigning. This evening, he addressed thousands of supporters in the northern town of Dinniyeh, promising to invest heavily in the programs that Rafik Hariri planned for the North but could not implement because of his assassination. The crowds were cheering and waiving the Lebanese flags and it felt like another Cedar Revolution gathering all over again.

Sunday will be a long day for the 28 candidates that will win the seats in the new parliament. No one at this moment can predict who will win. But as last Sunday's elections showed, surprises may be around the corner.

The Lebanese people know that most of these speeches, attacks and counter attacks are election rhetoric. All the Lebanese are hoping that once elections are over the politicians will stop attacking one another and will get down to the business of governing the country.

Sources: Ya Libnan, Tayyar, NBN TV