BEIRUT () -- Lebanon's parliamentary elections begin Sunday in the Christian heartland of Mount Lebanon, where pro-government candidates face a challenge from opponents hoping to stop what they see as the whittling away of Lebanon's sovereignty.


The Mount Lebanon polls are the first of five rounds of voting by region that will last until Sept. 15, but they promise the hottest contest between supporters and opponents of the pro-Syrian government.


The main battle will be the fight for seven seats in the Metn area northeast of Beirut, one of Mount Lebanon's six constituencies.