The power struggle in Lebanon is usually defined as Shia versus Sunni. But when the country goes to the polls on Sunday to elect a new parliament, the most heated contests will be in districts such as the Metn, the mountains above east Beirut, and among the region's Christian voters. It is there the outcome of the elections will be decided.

The explanation for this is simple. Each of Lebanon's Muslim communities is dominated by a powerful party: the Shia have Hizbollah, the political and militant group (and the allied Amal movement); the Sunni vote overwhelmingly for the Future movement.