Global Arab Network | Pro-Western coalition wins elections in Lebanon

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Pro-Western coalition wins elections in Lebanon

A surprise victory by Lebanon's pro-Western coalition against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah and its allies was officially confirmed Today.
Pro-Western_coalition_wins_elections_in_Lebanon

Results declared by Interior Minister Ziad Baroud showed Saad al-Hariri's pro-Western bloc had won 71 of parliament's 128 seats, against 57 for an opposition alliance that groups Shi'ite factions Hezbollah and Amal with Christian leader Michel Aoun.

Even before the official results were out, the March 14 coalition, named for the date of a protest that prompted the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon, declared victory, prompting street celebrations among its supporters.

The other issue is that of who will become prime minister in the new government. According to Al Jazeera TV, Saad Hariri wants the job, but others, including the Americans, have said privately that they would prefer the previous prime minister, Foaud Siniora, to stay.

Michel Aoun, a former military chief and leader of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), which is allied to Hezbollah, conceded on Lebanon's OTV that his party's candidates had been defeated.

The win by the March 14 coalition had been by no means certain and it was thought the elections would be decided in Christian districts where Aoun's candidates challenged other Christian competitors allied to the March 14 camp.

But Robert Fisk, a writer and journalist based in Lebanon, said that the Christian vote had not played as decisive a role as analysts had expected.

"The Christian vote did not seem to be as split as we feared it might be," he told Al Jazeera.
"Aoun, I think, lost a lot of Christian votes, but got more Muslim votes, which is interesting.
"Aoun did have a lot of die-hard supporters at one stage, but I think his gradual flirtation with Syria, with Iran and with Hezbollah has really put a lot of his supporters off."

The United States had no immediate comment, but France, another backer of the bloc, praised the "smooth functioning" of the election, which went off in mostly peaceful style.

"This vote, marked by a high level of participation, illustrates the vitality of Lebanese democracy," the French Foreign Ministry said. It expressed confidence that President Michel Suleiman would ensure swift formation of a new government that "takes the country on the path of reforms."

Hezbollah and Amal swept the vote in mainly Shi'ite areas, but defeat for Aoun in the key Christian districts of Zahleh and Ashrafiyeh deprived the alliance of the majority it had sought.

Fraud In Lebanon

A government-run Syrian newspaper on Monday accused the Western-backed political coalition of rigging the vote.

"Buying of votes, accusations of election manipulations, shootings in some areas... were reported in yesterday's election in Lebanon," said the al-Baath daily — a mouthpiece of the ruling al-Baath Party, in a front-page roundup on Lebanon's Sunday vote.

"The election atmosphere wasn't void of security difficulties, amid accusations against the pro-government forces that they bought votes, offered bribes and committed forgery... on a large scale," it added.

The article claimed that these "atmospheres were sources for questions and concerns until late last night."

The other two state-run dailies, Tishreen and al-Thawra, made no direct comment on the Lebanese elections, publishing news items on the election process.

Meanwhile, al-Watan (The Nation), a Syrian independent daily, said in its front-page report that "political money had a say" — an apparent accusation that the U.S.-backed "March 14 coalition" had bought votes.

Political stability

Before the results, 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, Reuters, Al Jazeera, SMH, VOA, CBS News, McClatchy)

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