Lebanon's Hezbollah suffers election losses

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

Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group and its allies appear to have suffered losses in this weekend's Parliamentary elections with preliminary results on May 16 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 on to their seats despite a devastating economic collapse that has plunged the majority of the country into poverty. With votes still being counted, unofficial results showed Hezbollah's Christian ally, the Free Patriotic Movement founded by President Michel Aoun, losing ground to its traditional Christian rivals, the rightwing Lebanese Forces headed by Samir Geagea.

The closely watched elections on Sunday were the first since a devastating economic crisis erupted in Lebanon in October 2019, triggering nationwide protests against the ruling class blamed for decades of corruption and mismanagement.

It was also the first election since the August 2020 Beirut port explosion that killed more than 200 people, injured thousands and destroyed parts of the Lebanese capital. The blast, widely blamed on negligence, was set off by hundreds of tonnes of poorly stored ammonium nitrate that ignited in a port warehouse.

Voter turnout was said to be at 41% — less than the 49% in the last election. Official results were expected to be announced later on Monday. Lebanon holds elections every four years and the new Parliament will elect a new president after Mr. Aoun's term ends in October.