Lebanon elections

Iran-backed Hezbollah has been dealt a blow in Lebanon's parliamentary election with preliminary results showing losses for some of its oldest allies and ...

Any delay would hold up reforms to tackle the crisis and unlock support from the International Monetary Fund and donor nations. The heavily armed Shi'ite Muslim group Hezbollah and its allies won a majority of 71 seats when Lebanon last voted in 2018. Whether Hezbollah and its allies can cling on to a majority hinges on results not yet finalised, including those in Sunni Muslim seats contested by allies and opponents of the Shi'ite movement.

Voter participation was expected to be higher on Sunday following an increase in diaspora voting last week. A woman votes during parliamentary elections in ...

Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said in a news conference that voter turnout was 41 percent, and with just a few polling stations still unaccounted for no major changes were expected. Voter participation was expected to be higher this year following an increase in the Lebanese diaspora voting last week. Elections monitors from the NGO the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections told Al Jazeera that Hezbollah and Amal partisans in several southern and eastern towns threatened them and kicked them out of polling stations. The Future Movement currently has two-thirds of the allocated Sunni seats in parliament, and a wide array of political groups and candidates swept Sunni constituencies to try to fill the void in Tripoli, Sidon, and Beirut’s second district. “I don’t know if it’s because of citizens’ choice or if it’s to serve the political orientation of those who called for boycotts,” Mawlawi said of the lower turnout on Lebanese television earlier on Sunday. Voting closed on Sunday evening in a parliamentary election that was the first since Lebanon’s economy began to spiral in late 2019, leading hundreds of thousands to protest in the streets against the country’s rulers.

Lebanon's parliamentary elections on Sunday hold the possibility of change — however slight — from the corruption, negligence, and stagnation that have ...

In the absence of strong political platforms and meaningful coalitions — not to mention funding to support campaigns — the report cautions, dissatisfaction with the ruling class is simply not enough to get independent candidates elected, much less dismantle the entire corrupt and divisive system. It is based on proportional representation (PR) and was first used in the 2018 elections.” While some civil society groups were in favor of the change because it could allow candidates from non-traditional groups to participate in the government, he said, “the traditional ruling parties inserted details into the electoral system that essentially negates the benefits,” including a preferential vote for an individual within a coalition, which Gharizi said helps “secure the election of traditional leaders.” But the opposition movement is new, unused to political organizing, and developing platforms and strategies, while traditional parties have relied on their divisive sectarian messages, Gharizi said. “While Sunnis were expected to boycott, surprisingly Shia and Christians had lower turnout as well. “Traditional ruling parties have reverted to tried and tested campaign strategies ensconced in fear, sectarian rhetoric and clientelism to mobilize voters,” he said. No one election will make the sweeping change that Lebanon needs and that the Lebanese people have been demanding for years now. The younger Hariri, who took office after the 2005 assassination of his father Rafik while he was serving as prime minister, is perhaps best known internationally for giving millions of dollars to a young South African model in between his prime ministerial terms. The division of political office along sectarian lines was ostensibly intended to keep the peace between religious groups after the brutal civil war, but it has also perpetuated corrupt political dynasties and enabled impunity for kleptocratic players that have allegedly used the fragile country’s assets as their own personal coffer. Lebanon’s parliament serves a four-year term and its structure is divided along sectarian lines, between Muslim and Christian seats; although there is religious diversity in Lebanon, religious minority groups like the Druze must fit into either the Muslim or Christian constituency, and are given seats proportional to their population. As Gharizi told Vox, Lebanon’s “electoral system is skewed [in] favor of the traditional ruling parties. Those crises include rampant inflation and high poverty — according to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, more than 80 percent of the country’s population of 6.8 million now live in some form of poverty as measured by twenty different indicators, like access to sanitation, health insurance, and school attendance as well as financial indicators like income and wealth. Lebanese people, fed up with the government’s response to the economic crisis it had created, began protesting on October 17, 2019; a proposed tax on the messaging service WhatsApp was the final straw.

A woman casts her vote in the Lebanese parliamentary election, at a polling station in Ainata, southern Lebanon May 15, 2022. (photo credit: AZIZ TAHER/REUTERS) ...

"Voting is the duty of every citizen," said President Michel Aoun as he cast his vote on Sunday. "A citizen cannot be impartial in a major issue that is essential in choosing the system of government. Nasrallah’s son and father both voted on Sunday. We wish everyone, especially family members who have not yet voted, please go to the polls." The army intervened and returned the peace, according to Lebanon's National News Agency. A number of injuries were reported after supporters of Hezbollah and supporters of the Lebanese Forces clashed in Zahle, according to Lebanese reports. Supporters of Hezbollah and the Christian Lebanese Forces clashed and polling monitors were threatened as Lebanese citizens voted in the first parliamentary elections since the economic crisis in the country began.

Lebanese citizens voted Sunday in a high-stakes parliamentary election, the first since a 2019 popular uprising demanded the downfall of the ruling elite, ...

We need a wave of decent and responsible people in parliament." The 43-year-old added: "We need a wave of change. "The queues we used to stand in were queues of humiliation," said Khaled Zaatari, referring to the long lines at bakeries and petrol pumps during some of the most difficult days of the economic crisis last year.

Follow live Lebanese election coverage here. Gebran Bassil, the head of the Christian-led Free Patriotic Movement, has hit out at what he said was a US and ...

The FPM has won as many as 16 seats, down from 18 in 2018, Sayed Younes, the head of its electoral machine, told Reuters. The FPM has been the biggest Christian party in parliament since its founder, President Michel Aoun, returned from exile in 2005 in France. He made his claim as it appeared his party was set to lose seats in the election, including his own.

Christian Lebanese Forces party, among Iranian proxy's most vocal critics, says it won at least 20 seats, making it largest Christian bloc in parliament.

If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6/month, you will: This would make it the largest Christian bloc in parliament, replacing the Free Patriotic Movement that was founded by President Michel Aoun and has been a Hezbollah ally since 2006. The blast, widely blamed on negligence, was set off by hundreds of tons of poorly stored ammonium nitrate that ignited in a port warehouse.

Early results from the weekend parliament elections in Lebanon show the country's militant Hezbollah group and its allies have apparently suffered losses.

Mikati was apparently referring to consultations that are expected to begin soon to name a new prime minister whose government’s main mission will be to negotiate with the International Monetary Fund to work on getting Lebanon out of its paralyzing economic crisis. The blast, widely blamed on negligence, was set off by hundreds of tons of poorly stored ammonium nitrate that ignited in a port warehouse. 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.

Final results for the makeup of Lebanon's 128-seat Parliament have still yet to be determined, but gains have been reported for Lebanese Forces, ...

In 2019, the Lebanese pound fell sharply and is now trading at around 27,000 pounds to the U.S. dollar on the black market. Meanwhile, there were reports on Sunday of voter intimidation and coercion across the country. Hariri has stepped away from the limelight, leaving a gap in Sunni politics and his Future Movement party without a leader. The economic crisis has encouraged many voters to cast ballots against traditional parties, who the U.N. blame for the country's "deliberate depression." At least 11 seats are expected to go to reform politicians, part of independent lists aiming to unseat the political elite. Lebanon, a nation of nearly 7 million, is home to 18 different religious communities.

Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group and its allies appear to have suffered some losses in this weekend's parliamentary elections, with their opponents ...

This would make it the largest Christian bloc in parliament, replacing the Free Patriotic Movement that was founded by President Michel Aoun and has been a Hezbollah ally since 2006. Daou is running in the Mount Lebanon region of Aley against longtime Druze politician Talal Arslan. The blast, widely blamed on negligence, was set off by hundreds of tons of poorly stored ammonium nitrate that ignited in a port warehouse.

Lebanese Forces to overtake Free Patriotic Movement as biggest Christian party in parliament, with notable breakthroughs for independents.

Later this year, lawmakers are due to elect a president to replace Aoun, whose term ends on 31 October. Mohanad Hage Ali of the Carnegie Middle East Center told Reuters. "You are going to have two blocs opposed to each other - on the one hand Hezbollah and its allies, and on the other the Lebanese Forces and its allies, and in the middle these new voices that will enter," he said.

Supporters carry Hezbollah and Amal Movement flags as they ride in a convoy past a poster depicting Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and parliamentary ...

Its leadership is aging and it has fewer friends in the region. In the past, the terror group has done everything possible to hijack the presidency of Lebanon and even used weapons to show its power in Beirut. Hezbollah refuses to concede that anyone else might control Lebanon. Iran sees failure but the question is whether Hezbollah will accept its failure at the ballot box, or provoke a new conflict in order to distract. Lebanon has been bankrupted and Hezbollah even helped cause the massive explosion in Beirut’s port via its corruption of institutions. Once the ruined country is a shell, the Iranians blame Israel and the US and then use this as an excuse to find “resistance” forces in the country, pouring in arms. It did the same in Iraq with the Hashd al-Shaabi, an umbrella group of militias.

Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group and its allies appear to have suffered losses in this weekend's parliamentary elections with preliminary results Monday ...

When Rande Cook first spotted the potted plant, he 'hired' it on the spot. Was Machine Gun Kelly trying to tell us something? For many of those women, employers' benefit packages may be the only way they can soon afford a legal abortion. Millions of women in more than 25 states face an abortion ban if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. 1 hr ago 1 hr ago Three people were also wounded. The Lebanese currency was pegged at 1,500 pounds to the dollar for 22 years until decades of corruption and mismanagement led to the country's worst economic crisis in its modern history starting in October 2019. Sunday's elections for parliament are the first since Lebanon's economic meltdown began in late 2019. Mikati was apparently referring to consultations that are expected to begin soon to name a new prime minister whose government's main mission will be to negotiate with the International Monetary Fund to work on getting Lebanon out of its paralyzing economic crisis. The preliminary results point to a shift, but more turmoil lies ahead. 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 grabbed 71 of the 128 seats in parliament.

Partial results show change in the balance of power in parliament where Hezbollah and allies once held a majority.

Lebanon’s economy since late 2019 has been spiralling downwards, plunging more than three-quarters of its population into poverty as people have struggled to cope with soaring food prices and power cuts. Lebanon’s 128-seated parliament is split evenly among its Muslim and Christian sects. The Christian Lebanese Forces, a party with close ties to the United States and Saudi Arabia, is projected to emerge as the largest Christian party in Parliament.

Preliminary results from parliamentary elections in Lebanon over the weekend show the country's militant Hezbollah group and its allies have apparently ...

The Lebanese currency was pegged at 1,500 pounds to the dollar for 22 years until decades of corruption and mismanagement led to the country’s worst economic crisis in its modern history starting in October 2019. Mikati was apparently referring to consultations that are expected to begin soon to name a new prime minister whose government’s main mission will be to negotiate with the International Monetary Fund to work on getting Lebanon out of its paralyzing economic crisis. 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 grabbed 71 of the 128 seats in parliament. Sunday’s elections for parliament are the first since Lebanon’s economic meltdown began in late 2019. Their showing sends a strong message to ruling class politicians who have held on to their seats despite an economic meltdown that has impoverished the country and triggered the biggest wave of emigration since the 1975-90 civil war. The preliminary results point to a shift, but more turmoil lies ahead.