Diplomatic Cross

  Hezbollah's leader says the Iran-backed militant Shia group and its allies have achieved "victory" in Lebanon's first parliamentary elections since 2009. JOSEPH EID | AFP | Getty Images Supporters of Lebanese Hezbollah Leader gather as he delivers a televised speech during a ceremony held by the Shiite party in the capital Beirut, commemorating the party's killed leaders, on February 16, 2018 Monitoring Desk ( BBC )   Although the official results have not been announced, Hassan Nasrallah said their gains guaranteed the protection of the "resistance" against Israel. Sunni Prime Minister Saad Hariri said his Western-backed Future Movement had lost a third of its seats. Mr Hariri is still expected to be asked to form a new unity government. But analysts said he would emerge a weaker figure, and be even less able to exert influence over Hezbollah than he was in the past. A power-sharing system stipulates that the prime minister sh...

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri gives a thumbs-up with his ink-stained thumb after voting in Beirut on May 6, 2018 Photo By-AFP / ANWAR AMRO (AFP)Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced Monday that his Sunni-dominated political movement had lost a third of its seats in parliament following the country's first general election in nine years. Hariri said the results, which have not yet been officially announced, credit his Future Movement with 21 of parliament's 128 seats, a drop from the 33 it controlled in the outgoing legislature. The prime minister admitted that he had hoped for a stronger showing but said he remained happy with the result, which contrasts with the expected gains made by the rival camp led by the Shiite group Hezbollah. The Future Movement "has been given a large bloc of 21 lawmakers in parliament," a relaxed-looking Hariri told a large group of local and foreign journalists at his Beirut residence. "We were betting on...

   First parliamentary elections since 9years introduced electoral law with proportional representation. Monitring Desk- Lebanon is awaiting official results of the country's first parliamentary elections in almost a decade, a poll that saw a significantly lower turnout than previous general elections.  Of the 3.8 million registered voters, 49.2 percent cast their ballots in Sunday's poll, the interior ministry said, down from 54 percent in the last election in 2009. The final results are expected to be announced in a news conference later on Monday.  However, according to unofficial preliminary results cited by politicians and Lebanese media, Hezbollah and its political allies won more than half the seats. If confirmed by the final count, this result would boost Hezbollah politically, with parties and individuals aligned with the heavily armed group securing a simple majority in parliament. Sunday's vote saw 583 candidates, including a...

Lebanese people will head to the polls tomorrow to elect a new parliament for the first time in nine years after several postponements over security concerns. Polling stations across Lebanon will open at 7:00 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) on Sunday and close at 7:00 p.m. local time (1600 GMT). More than 3.6 million eligible voters will choose among 583 candidates competing for 128 parliamentary seats, which are equally divided among Muslims and Christians. The elections will be held under a new electoral law passed in June 2017 after years of wrangling. The new system reduced the number of voting districts from 26 to 15. It also replaced the current plurality system with a system of proportional representation, increasing the sectarian diversity of lawmakers within each district.  Voters will practically select one list of allied candidates as well as one favourite A polling station official explains the voting procedure to a Lebanese national prepar...