Hundreds of Sunni families from Beirut on Friday streamed to the imposing mansion in the heart of the capital to glimpse Saad Hariri, the young man heading the main ticket in Lebanon's parliamentary election.
Only four months ago, the 35-year-old son of Rafiq Hariri, the slain former prime minister, was living in Saudi Arabia and running the family's multi-million dollar business.
But the assassination of his father in February catapulted him to the forefront of Lebanon's tumultuous political scene. Now Mr Hariri and his allies are poised to win the elections that started on Sunday.
The election is the first in three decades to be held without the presence of Syrian troops, which were forced to withdraw from Lebanon last month.
Western governments are hoping the elections will further dilute Syria's influence by giving a majority of seats to parties opposed to Damascus.
At a rally in the conservative Beirut Sunni neighbourhood of Qasqas last week, dozens of eager supporters mobbed Mr Hariri, carrying children begging for a kiss. Many were already calling him prime minister, although the businessman has not yet announced whether he will seek the post.
"It's very difficult to follow in the footsteps of my father. He was a great man who did a lot for Lebanon. I don't have that much experience (in politics)," the young Hariri was recently quoted as saying. "I will need all the advice I can get."
Even if the young Hariri does not become prime minister himself, he and his allies will have the final say in choosing who will take on a position reserved for Sunnis. The top posts in Lebanon are divided among the major sects.
A number of pro-Syrian candidates have withdrawn. In Beirut, the first to vote, nine out of the 19 seats have already been won unopposed by allies of Mr Hariri.
Under a complicated electoral system, Lebanon is divided into 13 large districts with seats in each one allocated to specific religious sects. In total, Christians of all denominations get 64 seats in parliament, with Muslim sects sharing another 64 seats.
However, the political bickering within the opposition and the lack of genuine contests, aggravated by the withdrawal of pro-Syrian candidates, have left many young voters disillusioned.
The massive demonstrations that helped drive Syrian troops out of Lebanon in the aftermath of the February assassination had raised hopes that the political system would radically change. But though pro-Syrian forces will be weakened in the next parliament, there are few new faces in the race.
Still, several hundred Lebanese expatriates are making the trip back home to cast their ballots (Lebanon does not allow voting outside its territory).
"It's not a perfect election, but it's the first time we can vote without Syrian troops in our country and I wanted to be part of that," said Jad Salhab, who returned to Beirut this week from Belgium to cast his vote.
The new parliament faces several challenges, not least to reshape its relationship with Syria and address international demands for the disarming of guerrillas from Hizbollah, the militant Shia group. Perhaps most urgently, the new legislative body will have to decide whether press for the resignation of Emile Lahoud, the pro-Syrian president.
