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.
-
Questions abound over the FAA’s management of BoeingTalking Points Some have called the agency’s actions underwhelming
-
Lou Berney’s 6 favorite books with powerful storytellingFeature The award-winning author recommends works by Dorothy B. Hughes, James McBride, and more
-
Robert Redford: the Hollywood icon who founded the Sundance Film FestivalFeature Redford’s most lasting influence may have been as the man who ‘invigorated American independent cinema’ through Sundance
-
Netanyahu agrees to Trump’s new Gaza peace planSpeed Read At President Trump's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, they agreed upon a plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Israel and the Gaza flotillaThe Explainer Activists fear loss of life after blaming Israel for drone attacks on ships
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
Inside Syria’s al-Hol campUnder the radar Aid cuts mean authorities face ‘uphill struggle’ to maintain security
-
What would happen if Israel lost America’s support?Today’s big question Loss of US backing could be a ‘catastrophe’ for Israel
-
Gaza genocide: will UN ruling change anything?Today's Big Question Commission of inquiry’s findings ‘give unprecedented weight’ to genocide claims
-
Why ‘anti-Islam’ bikers are guarding Gaza aid sitesIn The Spotlight Members of Infidels MC, who regard themselves as modern Crusaders, among private security guards at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites
