Hezbollah, allies lose majority in parliament

Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group and its allies lost their parliamentary majority, final elections results showed Tuesday, while more than a dozen independent newcomers gained seats. The outcome signaled a shift in a country devastated by an ongoing financial meltdown and soaring poverty.

Formal results for Sunday's elections showed no clear majority for any group. That indicates a fragmented and polarized parliament divided between pro- and anti-Hezbollah lawmakers who will likely find it difficult to work together to form a new government and enact desperately needed reforms.

The Hezbollah-led coalition won 61 seats in the 128-member legislature, a drop of 10 members since the last vote was held four years ago. It's a loss largely due to setbacks suffered by the Iran-backed group's political partners and was not expected to weaken its own domination of Lebanese politics. All 13 Hezbollah candidates who ran got elected.

Still, the results were hailed as a major breakthrough for groups opposed to Hezbollah and the country's other powerful political parties blamed for the collapse, introducing more new independent faces than was expected.

Hezbollah's most vocal opponent, the nationalist Christian Lebanese Forces party, emerged as the biggest winner. Its Christian rival, the Free Patriotic Movement founded by President Michel Aoun, suffered a political setback. The Free Patriotic Movement is an ally of Hezbollah.

The Lebanese Forces now has the largest bloc in parliament with 21 seats, overtaking the Free Patriotic Movement, which now holds 18 seats, a drop of three seats from the previous vote.

Despite the setback, Hezbollah and its main Shiite ally, the Amal group of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, retained the 27 seats allocated to the Shiite sect.