Hezbollah, Allies Lose Majority in Lebanese Parliament, Final Results Show

Lebanon's Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi speaks during a press conference as he announces final results for some districts in Lebanon's parliamentary elections at the Interior Ministry in Beirut, Lebanon May 16, 2022. (Reuters)
Lebanon's Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi speaks during a press conference as he announces final results for some districts in Lebanon's parliamentary elections at the Interior Ministry in Beirut, Lebanon May 16, 2022. (Reuters)
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Hezbollah, Allies Lose Majority in Lebanese Parliament, Final Results Show

Lebanon's Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi speaks during a press conference as he announces final results for some districts in Lebanon's parliamentary elections at the Interior Ministry in Beirut, Lebanon May 16, 2022. (Reuters)
Lebanon's Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi speaks during a press conference as he announces final results for some districts in Lebanon's parliamentary elections at the Interior Ministry in Beirut, Lebanon May 16, 2022. (Reuters)

Iran-backed Hezbollah and its allies have lost their majority in Lebanon's parliament in a general election, a Reuters tally of final results showed on Tuesday, a major blow to the armed group that reflects anger with Lebanon's ruling elite.

The Shiite party and factions that support its possession of arms won around 62 of parliament's 128 seats in Sunday's election, a reversal of the 2018 result when they secured a majority of 71.

In the first election since Lebanon's economic collapse and the Beirut port explosion of 2020, reform-minded political newcomers won about a dozen seats, making an unexpectedly strong breakthrough into a system long dominated by the same groups.

Hezbollah opponents including the Christian Lebanese Forces gained ground. It won around 19 seats, up from 15 in 2018, while the Hezbollah-allied Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) kept 18 seats, according to officials from both parties.

The results leave parliament split into several camps, none of which have a majority, raising the prospect of political paralysis and tensions that could delay reforms needed to steer the country out of its devastating economic crisis.

"Fragmentation has increased in the parliament, and this makes the process of legislation and forming majorities difficult," FPM leader Gebran Bassil said in a Tuesday news conference, calling on newcomers to work together with his party.

While the 2018 election pulled Lebanon closer into the orbit of Iran, these results could navigate again towards its Arab fold.

The final results on Tuesday included a record of eight women lawmakers, nearly half of them newcomers.

Unexpected upsets included the dislodging by two new MPs of Hezbollah allies Talal Arslan, heir to one of Lebanon's oldest Druze political dynasties, and deputy speaker of parliament Elie Ferzli.

Faisal Karami, scion of another Lebanese political dynasty, also lost his seat in the country's second city Tripoli.

'Crack in the wall'
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called in a statement late on Monday for the swift formation of an inclusive government to stabilize the economy.

Sami Atallah, director of The Policy Initiative, a Beirut-based think tank, said that was unlikely.

He said groups within the "polarized parliament" would lock horns when electing a parliamentary speaker, naming the next prime minister and voting on a president later this year.

And while Hezbollah and the allied Amal Movement maintained their control of the 27 Shiite-allocated seats, they lost two seats in their traditional stronghold of south Lebanon.

Atallah said that could push them to take a hardline stance: "They don't want to have a crack in the wall."

Overnight, large crowds carrying Hezbollah flags gathered in downtown Beirut, chanting in support of the party, according to footage posted on social media. Reuters could not independently verify the videos.

By the morning, a giant cardboard fist in downtown Beirut that was first erected when protests against the ruling establishment erupted three years ago appeared to have been torn down and burned, according to a Reuters witness.

The 2019 demonstrations reflected anger at a political class seen as corrupt and inefficient. Since then, Lebanon has plunged into an economic crisis that the World Bank has described as one of the worst since the Industrial Revolution.

The local currency has lost more than 90 percent of its value, reaching 30,000 pounds to the US dollar on Tuesday, roughly a 10% loss since Sunday's election.

But Lebanon's central bank said on Tuesday it would continue to allow commercial banks to purchase dollars on its Sayrafa platform rate "without amendment," an operation that has helped stabilize the exchange rate since it began in January.

The economic decline has pushed nearly three-quarters of Lebanon's population under the poverty line, which election observers had warned could open the door to more vote-buying.

In a preliminary statement on Tuesday, the European Union Election Observation Mission said the poll had been "overshadowed by widespread practices of vote-buying, clientelism and corruption".



Sharaa Tours More Syrian Cities ahead of National Conference

This handout picture released by the Syrian Presidency on February 16, 2025 shows Syria's interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa attending a meeting with officials and local leaders in the western coastal city of Tartus. (Syrian Presidency / AFP)
This handout picture released by the Syrian Presidency on February 16, 2025 shows Syria's interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa attending a meeting with officials and local leaders in the western coastal city of Tartus. (Syrian Presidency / AFP)
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Sharaa Tours More Syrian Cities ahead of National Conference

This handout picture released by the Syrian Presidency on February 16, 2025 shows Syria's interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa attending a meeting with officials and local leaders in the western coastal city of Tartus. (Syrian Presidency / AFP)
This handout picture released by the Syrian Presidency on February 16, 2025 shows Syria's interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa attending a meeting with officials and local leaders in the western coastal city of Tartus. (Syrian Presidency / AFP)

Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited the coastal cities of Latakia and Tartus on Sunday as part of a tour of the country that he kicked off on Saturday in the Idlib and Aleppo provinces.

The tour is taking place weeks ahead of a national conference scheduled in Homs in central Syria.

Sharaa was warmly welcomed by crowds that gathered in Latakia city center near the Jules Jammal school, which holds historic and national significance.

The school was established in the early 1920s and it helped shape national awareness in the country. It was the launch point for student protests and an arena for electoral tensions between the Baath party, Muslim Brotherhood and Syrian nationalists.

It was shut during the rule of ousted President Bashar al-Assad, leaving it in neglect despite its significance to the people.

Sharaa deliberately chose to greet the people near the school to underscore Latakia’s national role that was usurped by the Assad regime.

In Aleppo on Saturday, Sharaa attended an open dialogue discussion with several social and economic figures from the city and its countryside.

He listened to their proposals and demands, with sources saying that the talks focused on the state of affairs in Syria and efforts to revive it after the war and regime ouster.

This handout picture released by the Syrian Presidency on February 16, 2025 shows Syria's interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa attending a meeting with officials and local leaders in the western coastal city of Latakia. (Syrian Presidency / AFP)

Sharaa stressed Aleppo’s economic significance and role in the industry sector.

He underlined his confidence that Syria will rise again thanks to its people, telling the crowd that the interim government is focusing on setting plans for 2025 and 2026.

The sources said Sharaa sought to assure the people, emphasizing that “everyone was under the law” and that Syria is not a sectarian state.

He urged them to trust him in tackling the issues at hand, reiterating that he was walking the “very fine line between transitional justice and civil peace.”

Sharaa also visited Afrin city in Aleppo which is predominantly Kurdish.

He assured that Syrian Kurds were part of the Syrian population.

He visited refugee camps in the northwest, stressing that returning the displaced home was a government priority.

Sharaa’s tour is taking place amid preparations for the national conference in Homs. Consultations have already gotten underway for the meeting.