SAO PAULO — Lebanese expatriates began voting Sunday in the first parliamentary elections held by the tiny Arab country in nine yearsThe current legislature has extended its term several times, citing security threats linked to the war in neighbouring Syria. The vote marks the first time that Lebanese are allowed to vote abroad. Lebanese immigrants began arriving in Brazil in the late 19th century, fleeing the Turkish-Ottoman empire that ruled much of the Middle East. Accomplished merchants, many settled in Sao Paulo — Brazil’s biggest city — and earned a living as travelling salesmen selling textiles and clothes and opening new markets. The best known Brazilian politicians of Arab descent are President Michel Temer, Paulo Maluf, who twice served as mayor of Sao Paulo and once as governor of Sao Paulo state, and former Sao Paulo mayor Fernando Haddad.

Source: National Post April 29, 2018 09:11 UTC