Final Results in Lebanon Election Confirm a Loss for Hizbullah, Allies

Lebanon’s Interior Ministry announced on Tuesday the final results of Lebanon’s 2022 parliamentary elections, confirming that Hizbullah and its allies have lost their majority in parliament. Hizbullah and allied parties won 59 seats in the 128-seat parliament, down from 71 in the previous elections in 2018 and six seats short of the 65 needed to secure a majority. The Lebanese Forces, which won 20 seats, is now the largest Christian parliamentary bloc, having bested the Hizbullah-allied Free Patriotic Movement, which won 18 seats. Key Hizbullah allies, including Druze leader Talal Arslan and Sunni leader Faysal Karame, lost their bids for re-election. Reformist candidates made unprecedented gains, reflecting public sentiment that has turned sharply a ruling elite that is widely considered to be corrupt and incompetent. This election was the first held since the country experienced an unprecedented financial and economic meltdown. Voter turnout was 42%, down from 49 percent in the 2018 elections.