Global Arab Network | Lebanon's election - pro-Western coalition appears to win

Translate this article to your language:

GANPublications

e-Publications

Add Site to Favorites

Add Page to Favorites

Make Homepage

Share This Page

RSS Feed

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |

Lebanon's election - pro-Western coalition appears to win

election_-_Lebanons_pro-Western_coalition

Lebanon's pro-Western coalition appears to defeat the alliance led by Iranian-backed Hezbollah. The ruling March 14 camp has declared victory in the country's closely contested parliamentary elections.

Final results are not due until later Today, but unofficial results projected the coalition, led by Saad al-Hariri, would win 70 seats in the new 128-seat assembly against the Hezbollah-led alliance's 58 seats.

March 14 supporters were already celebrating across the Lebanese capital, shooting guns in the air, setting off fireworks and driving around sounding car horns.
"Congratulations to Lebanon, congratulations to democracy, congratulations to freedom," said al-Hariri, the son of Rafiq al-Hariri, the slain former prime minister, in a televised address.

The Hezbollah alliance, known as the March 8 movement, has not officially conceded, but its main Christian ally, the nationalist Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) led by Michel Aoun, a former army chief, did acknowledged defeat.

Hassan Fadlallah, a Hezbollah MP, said Lebanon was ruled by a partnership and the delicate balances or past experiences cannot be changed regardless of the election results.
"What matters to us now is that Lebanon turns a new page, one based on partnership, co-operation and understanding," he told the AFP news agency.
"No party can claim to have won the majority among all communities.
"Whoever wants political stability, the preservation of national unity and the resurrection of Lebanon will find no choice but to accept the principle of consensus."

Michel de Chadarevian, from the FPM, part of the Hezbollah-led alliance, said: "Even if we had won we would have formed a national unity government."

Walid Jumblatt, the Lebanese Druze leader in the March 14 alliance, said Hezbollah and its allies should be included in a new Lebanese government.
"We should not forget that the elections should be a boost to the dialogue and we should not try to isolate the other parties," he said.
Hezbollah has repeatedly called for the formation of a "national unity government" that would give its minority alliance veto power.
The group, which is backed by Syria and Iran, is considered a "terrorist" organisation by the US, but at home is seen by many as a resistance movement that protects Lebanon from Israel.

About 50,000 police and soldiers were on patrol nationwide to prevent any violence and there were no reports of serious problems, although three people were arrested for using fake identity cards and the army intervened in one city after some voters traded insults and blows.(AFP , SMH, VOA, McClatchy)

Global Arab Network

Add comment

The opinions of the authors in articles published are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Global Arab Network
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Published comments are the opinions of private individuals and do not reflect the views of Global Arab Network