Lebanon's Future Movement wins 21 parliament seats: PM

By Ali Abo Rezeg

BEIRUT

Lebanon’s Future Movement, a Sunni coalition, won 21 out of 128 parliamentary seats in Sunday’s elections, Prime Minister and Future Movement leader Saad Hariri said Monday.

Speaking at a press conference in Beirut, Hariri voiced his “’satisfaction” with the poll results, going on to describe Lebanon’s new election law -- adopted last year -- as his government’s “most important achievement”.

“I will remain an ally of [Hezbollah-allied] President Michel Aoun because this partnership will contribute to [Lebanon's] stability,” he said.

Hariri went on to assert that Lebanon “can only be governed by all its political components... we must work together to build our country”.

According to preliminary results of Sunday’s poll, a coalition between Hezbollah and the Amal Movement secured the highest number of seats -- 34 -- in the 128-seat assembly.

Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement, meanwhile, is expected to come in second with at least 26 seats.

Preliminary results also indicated gains by Samir Geagea’s Lebanese Forces (Phalange), which appears to have secured at least 15 seats.

In an unprecedented development, many voters broke with the political mainstream, with seven independent candidates -- including five women -- picking up seats.

Nevertheless, Sunday’s parliamentary poll -- Lebanon's first in nine years -- saw unusually low turnout of only 49.2 percent.

The polls saw 917 candidates from a multiplicity of parties vie for parliamentary seats, half of which (64) are reserved for Muslims while the other half are reserved for Christians.

The vote was held under a new proportional system, which divides the country into 15 separate electoral constituencies.

Final results are expected to be announced on Monday evening, according to local media.