The World - News from Aug. 15, 1988

The Lebanese army was put on alert to head off a threat by Christian hard-liners to sabotage Thursday’s presidential election, military officials said. The action, ordered by Lebanon’s army commander, Maj. Gen. Michel Aoun, followed a threat by Christian Falangist party leader George Saadeh to sabotage the vote if a president were forced on the country by foreign powers. Pro-Syrian Muslim politicians said that Aoun has emerged as a front-runner in the vote for a successor to President Amin Gemayel, adding that he is fully backed by Damascus. Under power-sharing constitutional provisions, the new president will be a Maronite Christian chosen by Parliament.