Lebanon elections: Final results coming in amid setback for Hezbollah and allies

This concludes The New Arab’s live coverage of the Lebanese election results:

The Iranian-backed Hezbollah and its main allies had the support of around 70 lawmakers in the outgoing parliament but will now fall just short of the 65 seats needed to retain a majority.

Their strongest opponents in parliament will be led by the Christian Lebanese Forces party of former warlord Samir Geagea, that raked in several new seats on the back of a virulent anti-Hezbollah campaign.

At least 13 independents who backed the 2019 protest movement won seats. Twelve of them will sit in parliament for the first time.

Eight women were elected to parliament.

Full results of elections announced

Full results announced by the interior ministry two days after the election revealed that no bloc will control the 128-seat assembly, a deadlock observers fear could usher in a tense period of political jostling.

The polls, the first since Lebanon was ravaged by its worst ever economic crisis and a cataclysmic explosion at Beirut port in 2020, were seen as a prerequisite for a crucial IMF bailout.

The Iranian-backed Hezbollah and its main allies had the support of around 70 lawmakers in the outgoing parliament but will now fall just short of the 65 seats needed to retain a majority.

Their strongest opponents in parliament will be led by the Christian Lebanese Forces party of former warlord Samir Geagea, that raked in several new seats on the back of a virulent anti-Hezbollah campaign.

New reformist faces who entered the legislative race on the values of a 2019 anti-establishment uprising made a stronger showing that many had predicted.

At least 13 independents who backed the 2019 protest movement won seats. Twelve of them will sit in parliament for the first time.

Together with other non-aligned MPs who have sometimes supported the now-defunct protest movement's demands, they could find themselves in a kingmaking position but they would need the kind of unity they failed to achieve during the campaign.

Twice as many women in parliament

The final results on Tuesday included a record of eight women lawmakers - nearly half of them newcomers.

However, critics say this is still too little women with them only taking up eight out of 128 seats.

The women elected are:

Halima Ibrahim Qaaqour for United For Change in Mount Lebanon IV 
Najat Khattar Aoun for United For Change in Mount Lebanon IV 
Paula Yacoubian for Li Watani  in Beirut I
Cynthia Fadi Zarazeer for Li Watani in Beirut I
Inaya Ezzedine for Amal in South II 
Nada Boustany for We Were and Will Remain  in Mount Lebanon I
Sethrida Tawk Geagea for The Pulse of the Strong Republic in North III
Ghada Ayoub for Our Unity in Saida and Jezzine in South 

Lebanon independents win at least 13 seats: results

Independent candidates won at least 13 seats in Lebanon's new parliament, making unprecedented gains, according to results announced by the interior ministry Tuesday.

The reformists, who campaigned on the legacy of a 2019 anti-establishment protest movement, could yet obtain the support of several other independent and non-aligned lawmakers in the 128-member assembly.

Twelve of the thirteen reformist candidates are newcomers. They campaigned against Lebanon's ruling elite, composed of sectarian parties that have ruled the country since the end of the civil war in 1990.

Many Lebanese blame the entrenched political elite for the country's economic collapse since 2019 and for failing to take measures to stop it.

Always celebrate the small wins: This is Lebanon's first parliament with independent women who were not elected for their affiliation with men...

— Mustapha Hamoui (@Beirutspring) May 17, 2022

EU Election Observation Mission says corruption overshadowed election

EU Election Observation Mission issued a preliminary report which said the vote was “overshadowed by widespread” violations.

While the report acknowledged the holding of the election on time despite logistical challenges, it pointed to widespread practices of vote-buying and clientelism which “seriously affected the voters’ choice.”

It further said instances of campaign obstruction and intimidation “marred” the campaign.

It also noted that voters with limited mobility faced obstacles, with less than half of polling stations being inaccessible.

Hezbollah and allies win 62 seats in Lebanon parliament

Hezbollah and allies who support its armed presence have lost the parliamentary majority they held since 2018 in Lebanon, according to a Reuters tally of official results released on Tuesday, dealing a major blow to the heavily armed group.

Hezbollah, the Shi'ite Amal Movement, the Christian Free Patriotic Movement and a number of other MPs considered to support the group's armed presence in the country now hold around 62 seats, compared to 71 in the outgoing parliament.