Unofficial results from Lebanon’s first parliamentary election in almost a decade show that Hezbollah and its political allies have won just over half of the seats.
The interior ministry reported turnout was less than 50% in Lebanon’s first parliamentary election since 2009, despite an estimated 800,000 voters under the age of 30 who were expected to cast ballots for the first time.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trying to hold back Hezbollah’s growing influence is incumbent Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who leads the Mustaqbal, or Future, bloc. Mustaqbal is backed by Saudi Arabia, Iran's Sunni rival, CNN reports, and also favoured by Western governments.
The unofficial tally indicated sharp losses for Hariri, but he is still set to emerge as the Sunni Muslim leader with the biggest bloc in the 128-seat house, “making him the frontrunner to form the next government”, according to Reuters.
Under Lebanon’s complicated sectarian power-sharing constitution, the prime minister must be a Sunni, who presides over a government consisting of all main parties.
Lebanon’s ballooning state debt levels, among the highest in the world, and an influx of over a million refugees from neighbouring Syria are among the most pressing issues facing the new government.
Yet it is Iran’s growing influence in the country, primarily manifested through its support of Hezbollah, that is seen by many abroad as the biggest threat to long-term stability in the region.
However, while they made gains, Hezbollah and its allies fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to make changes to the country’s constitution.
-
Home Depots are the new epicenters of ICE raidsIn the Spotlight The chain has not provided many comments on the ongoing raids
-
Why does Trump keep interfering in the NYC mayoral race?Today's Big Question The president has seemingly taken an outsized interest in his hometown elections, but are his efforts to block Zohran Mamdani about political expediency or something deeper?
-
The pros and cons of banning cellphones in classroomsPros and cons The devices could be major distractions
-
Israel targets Hamas leaders in Qatar airstrikeSpeed Read Hamas said five low-level leaders were killed in the attack
-
What are the Abraham Accords and why are they under threat?The Explainer The 2020 agreements would be 'undermined' if Israel annexes West Bank, UAE warns
-
'Axis of upheaval': will China summit cement new world order?Today's Big Question Xi calls on anti-US alliance to cooperate in new China-led global system – but fault lines remain
-
What is Tony Blair's plan for Gaza?Today's Big Question Former PM has reportedly been putting together a post-war strategy 'for the past several months'
-
Disarming Hezbollah: Lebanon's risky missionTalking Point Iran-backed militia has brought 'nothing but war, division and misery', but rooting them out for good is a daunting and dangerous task
-
UN votes to end Lebanon peacekeeping missionSpeed Read The Trump administration considers the UN's Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to be a 'waste of money'
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
Settling the West Bank: a death knell for a Palestine state?In the Spotlight The reality on the ground is that the annexation of the West Bank is all but a done deal
