Lebanese voted in the country’s first parliamentary election since the country’s economic collapse on Sunday, with many saying they hoped to punish ruling lawmakers blamed for the catastrophe, even if the chances of meaningful change look limited.

The election, the first since 2018, is considered as a litmus test for whether the highly armed, Iran-backed Hezbollah and its allies can maintain their parliamentary majority in the face of increasing poverty and opposition to ruling parties.

Since the last election, Lebanon has been shaken by an economic catastrophe manufactured by the governing class, as well as a huge explosion at Beirut’s port in 2020.

While experts believe public outrage might help reform-minded candidates gain some seats, observers feel a significant shift in the balance of power is unlikely, with Lebanon’s sectarian political system biased in favor of established parties.

The breakdown was Lebanon’s biggest destabilizing crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war, sinking the currency by more than 90%, throwing nearly three-quarters of the population into poverty, and freezing savers’ bank savings.

According to local media, some voting locations had power outages as a result of the fall.