Pro-Iranian Hezbollah has lost its majority in the Lebanese parliament. The Lebanese Ministry of the Interior announced this Tuesday based on the final election results.
On Sunday, Lebanese went to the polls amid the worst economic slump the country has ever experienced.
The Shia party and its coalition partners won 62 of the 128 seats and thus failed to win at least 65 seats. This was necessary to stay in power. Candidates from the reformist opposition, on the other hand, did make gains and together secure at least 13 seats, considerably more than expected.
The opposition party Lebanese Armed Forces (FL), also gained ground. The party of former war leader Samir Geagea, which is diametrically opposed to Hezbollah, is now the largest Christian party in parliament, with 20 seats.
In the previous elections in 2018, the Hezbollah bloc won 71 seats. Still, widespread dissatisfaction with the economic and political situation in the country caused the popularity of the incumbent parties to decline.
Hezbollah itself managed to keep its seats, but mainly the coalition partners have had to share in the blows.