Lhe largest parliamentary bloc in Lebanon, led by the powerful armed movement Hezbollah, has lost its majority in Parliament, according to the final results of the legislative elections announced on Tuesday May 17 by the Minister of the Interior.
The Shiite movement and its political allies who had the support of around 70 of the 128 MPs in the outgoing parliament failed to secure the 65 seats needed to retain a majority following Sunday’s legislative elections. The candidates from the 2019 popular protest won at least 13 seats in Parliament.
Unprecedented, two independent candidates managed to win a seat in South Lebanon that had been held by Hezbollah allies for three decades. The Lebanese Forces, a Christian party that has been part of the political class virtually unchanged for three decades and staunchly opposed to Hezbollah, said it won at least 18 seats, down from 15 seats in 2018.
king makers
The poll was held in a country plunged into the worst socio-economic crisis in its history, blamed by a large part of the population, by international organizations and by several foreign countries on corruption and class inertia. leader, unchanged for decades.
While the country is plunged into a very serious economic crisis, no recovery measures have been undertaken by the ruling class accused of letting the country sink.
In this context, the independent candidates, from the protest movement launched in October 2019 and which lasted a few months to demand the departure of the political class, achieved good scores, with at least 13 candidates having obtained seats in Parliament.
According to observers, the latter might line up in opposition to the traditional parties and position themselves as kingmakers for the formation of the new government.
(with AFP)
