Lebanon goes to the polls amid its worst-ever financial crisis

ONE WAY to predict the future in Lebanon is to look at election billboards and imagine the opposite. The last time voters chose a parliament, in 2018, roads across the country were lined with cheery messages. “Our port will come”, read one, referring to a tourist harbour that would woo cruise ships and boost the economy. Another hailed Lebanon’s financial stability: “Currencies around us are collapsing, but our lira is firm.” In the years that followed, Lebanon’s main port was wrecked by one of the largest non-nuclear explosions ever seen (pictured above), and the lira lost more than 94% of its value.The same pattern may apply this year. Lebanon will hold legislative elections on May 15th. Nattily dressed candidates grin from ubiquitous billboards. The most common word on them seems to be “change”. Everyone promises reform. Yet the most likely result is more of the same.