Iran-backed Hezbollah wins big in national election
BEIRUT — The leader of Lebanon’s Iranian-backed Hezbollah group, Hassan Nasrallah, declared “mission accomplished” Monday after scoring major gains in parliamentary elections, as the main Western-backed faction headed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri lost a third of its seats.
The results of Sunday’s election further bolster Iran’s allies in Lebanon and neighboring Syria at a time when Tehran faces growing Israeli threats and the prospect of the United States pulling out of a landmark nuclear deal negotiated with world powers.
They also underline the growing clout of the group in Lebanon where it dominates politically and militarily.
Hariri acknowledged the losses at a news conference in Beirut on Monday, but said “it’s not the end of the world.” The international community, he said, should look at the results in a “positive way” because they reflect democracy in Lebanon. He blamed his losses on a new election law and a performance by his political party “that wasn’t up to the standards.”
“My hand is extended to every Lebanese who participated in the elections to preserve stability and create jobs,” Hariri said in a televised statement. He said he would continue to work closely with President Michel Aoun, who is allied with the rival, Hezbollah-led bloc.
The official count shows that Hariri, a Sunni politician with close ties to Saudi Arabia, has lost at least five seats in Beirut, once considered his party’s stronghold.
Hariri told reporters that his Future Movement won 21 seats in Sunday’s vote, a decline of 11 from the last election, in 2009. Hariri would still have the largest Sunni bloc in parliament, facilitating his return as prime minister to form the next government.
Hezbollah and its political allies gained at least 43 seats, giving another boost to Iran’s allies in Lebanon and Syria, where Tehran’s influence has grown in recent years as it has provided crucial support to President Bashar Assad.
The elections were the first since war broke out in Syria in 2011, sending more than 1 million refugees fleeing into Lebanon, a small country with a population estimated at around 4.5 million. The war has divided Lebanon, pitting parties supporting Hezbollah’s intervention in Syria against Saudi-aligned parties opposed to it. The divide reflects the regionwide rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
The results indicated Sunni voters were losing faith in Hariri’s party amid a declining Saudi role in Lebanon, a deteriorating economy and general exasperation over the civil war in Syria, which has further strained the economy to the breaking point.
Hezbollah is considered a terrorist group by the U.S., but its political wing has long held seats in Lebanon’s parliament and was part of Lebanon’s outgoing coalition government.