Hezbollah gains in Lebanon polls, early results show

BEiRUt: The Iran- backed Hezbollah group and its political allies scored significant gains in Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Lebanon while the Western-backed Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s Future Movement sustained losses, according to preliminary and unofficial results published in Lebanese media.

The results, which are more or less expected to match the official count, show that Hariri, a Sunni politician with close ties to Saudi Arabia, has so far lost five seats in Beirut, once considered his party’s stronghold.

If confirmed, the results would be yet another boost for Iran’s allies in Lebanon and neighbouring Syria, where it has seen its strength steadily grow over the past few years.

This indicates Sunni voters are losing faith in Hariri’s party amid a stagnant economy and general exasperation over the civil war in neighbouring Syria, which has brought one million refugees to Lebanon.

Hariri would still have the largest Sunni bloc in parliament, facilitating his return as prime minister to form the next government despite the losses.

The next Lebanon government, like the outgoing one, will likely be a unity government that incorporates Hariri’s opponents from the Syiah Hezbollah group.

Hezbollah and its allies appear set to take at least 47 seats in the 128-seat parliament, which would enable them to veto any laws the Syiah militant group opposes. The group, according to the unofficial results, added one seat and now has a bloc of 13 in parliament, known as “Loyalty to the Resistance” bloc.

Pro-Syrian politicians made their strongest comeback since Damascus ended a nearly three-decade mili- tary presence in 2005.

Hardcore Syrian allies that were elected on Sunday include former security chief Jamil Sayyed, former deputy parliament Speaker Elie Firzly and former defence minister Abdul-Rahim Murad.

The election, the first to be held in nine years, was marked by a lower turnout than before, reflecting voter frustration over endemic corruption and a stagnant economy.

Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk put national turnout at 49%, compared to 54% in 2009. In Beirut precincts, the turnout was between 32% and 42%. — AP