The small country in the Middle East experiencing soaring poverty and anger at its ruling parties went to the polls yesterday to cast a ballot on its future. A massive blast ripped through the port in the capital Beirut in 2020, killing 218 people, injuring scores more and wrecking the city’s infrastructure. Locals remain furious at the government for failing to dispose of tonnes of explosive ammonium nitrate that led to the explosion that scuttled the economy that was already in terminal decline due to corruption and mismanagement. In a sign of how bad things are, a new report from the United Nations last week found that 4 in every 5 Lebanese live in poverty. So, analysts say reform-minded candidates could be propelled into parliament, but change is difficult due to the set-up of its sectarian political system that skews towards established religious parties. The last election in 2018 saw the Shiite Hezbollah movement and its allies win 71 out of Parliament’s 128 seats. Note: our government listed Hezbollah as a banned terrorist organisation last year.