Hezbollah losing in early returns

BEIRUT — Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group and its allies appear to have suffered losses in this weekend’s parliamentary elections with preliminary results Monday showing their strongest opponents picking up more seats and some of their traditional partners routed out of the legislature.

Despite the apparent setback, Hezbollah and its main Shiite ally, the Amal group of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, are likely to retain the 27 seats allocated to the sect. It was not clear, however, whether the Iran-backed group and its allies would hang on to the majority they have held since 2018, when they had 71 of the 128 seats in parliament.

Meanwhile, independents, including those from the 2019 protest movement, scooped up at least 10 seats, a major achievement considering they went into the vote fragmented and facing intimidation and threats by entrenched mainstream parties. Their showing sends a strong message to ruling class politicians who have held onto their seats despite a devastating economic collapse that has plunged the majority of the country into poverty.

The mixed bag ensures a sharply polarized parliament with lawmakers who will likely find it difficult to work together to pass the laws needed to begin the financial recovery and support a government with enormous challenges that lie ahead.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who is hoping to return as head of a postelection government, urged groups and independents who will be represented in the new parliament to move quickly. Mikati was apparently referring to consultations that are expected to begin soon to name a new prime minister whose government’s main mission will be to negotiate with the International Monetary Fund to work on getting Lebanon out of its paralyzing economic crisis.