Hezbollah gains

Beirut

The Shiite militant movement Hezbollah and its pro-Syrian ally Amal easily swept all 23 seats being contested this week in Lebanon’s ongoing parliamentary elections. Hezbollah and Amal candidates won at least 90 percent of the vote, although turnout was less than 50 percent overall and less than 12 percent in some Christian areas. Since Hezbollah campaigned largely on a platform of armed resistance to Israel, the definitive victory bolstered the group in its determination to resist U.S. and U.N. calls to disarm. A final decision on disarming hangs on how much power the group will have in the Lebanese parliament. Lebanon still has two parts to go in its four-phase election.

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