Lebanon parliamentary elections 2022- Hezbollah and allies lost majority in 128 member parliament

Hezbollah and allies won 58 seats- 7 short of  majority as the Independents and protest movement Opposition candidates made gains  

                                                

According to the results announced by Lebanon interior ministry, no party or block was able to won the majority in 128 member Lebanon parliament. The pro-Hezbollah bloc secured 58 seats, fewer than the 65 seats needed to secure a majority, and down from 71 in the previous parliament. Hezbollah retained all 13 seats in this election it won in 2018 elections. But some of its allies lost seats.  The anti-Hezbollah block secured 47 seats while independents and protest movement Opposition got 22 seats. The Independents and Opposition candidates made big gains in the elections.

These are the first parliamentary elections after the collapse of Lebanon's economy. Lebanon is still going through a severe economic crisis. Mass protests broke out two years ago against the economic collapse and the inability of the elite to resolve the crisis. The people had seen their incomes  and living standards falling over the years. 

Lebanon government agreed with IMF on a $3 billion dollar bailout on tough conditions. It will be difficult for a weak  coalition government to implement all the 8 conditions of IMF.     

Another weak coalition government might be the possible result of this election.  The elections took place on Sunday May 15. The turnout was at 41% lower than 2018 when the turnout was 48%.  The Free Patriotic Movement, a Hezbollah ally, is no longer the country’s largest Christian parliamentary bloc, winning 18 seats in Sunday’s elections, compared with 20 for it’s the United States and Saudi Arabia-backed rival the Lebanese Forces.

The Lebanese Forces say they are now the largest Christian party in parliament for the first time. LF and allies won 21 seats, an increase of 6 seats. Progressive Socialist Party and allies won 8 seats a loss of one seat compare to 2018. Civil society and Opposition won 13 seats an increase of 12 seats. This block won just one seat in 2018.

However, that doesn't mean that Hezbollah’s opponents will form a cohesive bloc to elect a government or set the agenda. Experts anticipate the new legislative body will be fractured and legislation will not be easy for the new government without taking Hezbollah on board.

15 independent candidates elected to parliament, an increase of 09 seats compared with 2018 elections..  For the first time in decades, the elections took place without the country’s largest Sunni party, the Future Movement. Its leader, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, stepped down from politics earlier this year. Some of his supporters endorsed the boycott, while some of his allies quit the party to take part in the elections.

                                                                          Khalid Bhatti