Lebanon vote brings blow for Hezbollah allies in preliminary results
This election is the first since Lebanon's devastating economic meltdown
Iran-backed Hezbollah was dealt a blow in Lebanon's parliamentary election, with preliminary results showing losses for some of its oldest allies.
At the same time, the Saudi-aligned Lebanese Forces say they gained seats.
With votes still being counted, the final make-up of the 128-member parliament has yet to emerge. The heavily armed Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah and its allies won a majority of 71 seats when Lebanon last voted in 2018.
This election is the first since Lebanon's devastating economic meltdown, which the World Bank blames on ruling politicians, and follows a massive port explosion in 2020 shattered Beirut.
In a startling upset, Hezbollah-allied Druze politician Talal Arslan lost his seat to Mark Daou, a newcomer running on a reform agenda, Reuters reported, citing the latter's campaign manager and a Hezbollah official.
Initial results also indicated wins for at least five other independents campaigning on a platform of reform and bringing to account politicians blamed for steering Lebanon into the worst crisis since its civil war.
Gains reported by the Lebanese Forces (LF), which is vehemently opposed to Hezbollah, mean it would overtake the Hezbollah-allied Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) as the most prominent Christian party in parliament.
The LF won at least 20 seats, up from 15 in 2018, said the head of its press office, Antoinette Geagea, according to Reuters.
The FPM had won up to 16 seats, down from 18 in 2018, Sayed Younes, the head of its electoral machine, told Reuters.