The Sunni vote in Tripoli

In Tripoli, former prime minister Saad Hariri’s absence from the elections has put the cat amongst the pigeons when it comes to the Sunni vote. His withdrawal leaves the door open for his Sunni rivals to do better than they managed in 2018.

Mohammed, 30, hopes that the candidates for The People's Will, the party supported by former members of Hariri's Future Movement, will win in Tripoli.

Two of the most popular candidates in the area are the party's Faisal Karami and Taha Naji.

Mohammed told MEE he believes that Hariri will come back in eight to 12 months.

Members and supporters of the traditional parties and candidates in Tripoli are much less forthright than those voting for independents. Most refused to comment to MEE.

Safa, 32, told MEE she will refuse any results that reward traditional parties. "I hope for a change, but I have so many doubts," she said.

At the same time, she believes that even if independent candidates enter parliament, they won't have power to change things.

Asked about Hariri's withdrawal, Safa said: "It was a very bad decision. But I had enough of him."