Money and vote-buying engines of Lebanese polls - Khaleej Times

Agence France-Presse (AFP)
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Influential politicians, Muslims as well as Christians, demanded payments of large sums of cash from would-be candidates seeking to be on the “list of winners”, which would have usually been close to power, said sociologist Melhem Chaoul.... “He who gets a job in the public sector due to a string-pulling by a minister should show his gratitude at the ballot box,” said Chaoul.
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A UN report said that acts of “vote buying and irregularities are known... but difficult to prove.”

No self-respecting blogger would refer to "a UN report" and then not link to it. We shouldn't let newsagencies get away with it not providing link.

I didn't find the "UN report" but see the Freedom House report on Lebanon. Once established, a culture of corruption is difficult to root out; it is doubtful that all is sweetness and light now that the Syrians have left.

Some U.S. counties have similar long-standing problems.