New Parliament around the corner with results in: Follow our live coverage here

European Union Election Observation Mission Chief Observer György Hölvényi said that election preparations were affected by "limited financial and human resources" and that the process was overshadowed by vote buying and clientelism.

At a press conference at the Mövenpick hotel in Beirut announcing the results of the EU delegation's election monitoring mission, he said the overall process was "overshadowed by widespread practices of vote buying, clientelism and corruption... affecting the level playing field and undermining voter choice."

The Supervisory Commission on Elections lacked the funds, human resources and "basic equipment" to properly monitor the elections, he said, adding that the media failed to provide equal access to all candidates.

György Hölvényi characterized the atmosphere of voting as overall calm with "localized tensions" and noted that "freedom of expression was mostly respected during the campaign period.”

He noted some improvements in accessibility of voting stations to people with disabilities with 51 percent of stations visited by the team having voting facilities on the ground floor, but said that only 43 percent of the stations were determined to be accessible to people with reduced mobility. 

North II

In North II, which is made up of the districts of Tripoli and Minieh-Danniyeh — there are eleven seats — eight Sunni, one Greek Orthodox, one Maronite, and one Alawite.

The winners are as follows for Tripoli:

-Mohammad Kabbara, an incumbent Sunni MP who caucused with the Future Movement in the 2018 Parliament. Kabbara, who was first elected to the legislature in 1992 and served as labor minister in Saad Hariri’s 2016-2019 government, ran on the “For the People” list supported by Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

-Ashraf Rifi, the justice minister in Tammam Salam’s 2014-2016 cabinet and a former Internal Security Forces head, won a Sunni seat running on the “Rescue of a Nation” supported by the LF. This will be his first term in Parliament.

-Elias Khoury, a newcomer to the Parliament who ran on the “Rescue of a Nation” list supported by the LF. Khoury won the Maronite seat.

-Ihab Matar, another new member of the legislature who ran on “The Real Change” list supported by Jama'ah al-Islamiyah, an Islamist party. Matar won a Sunni seat.

-Taha Naji, who will be entering the Parliament for the first time after running on “The People's Will” list supported by pro-Hezbollah groups. Naji won a Sunni seat.

-Ramy Fanj, a new entrant to Parliament who ran on the “Revolt for Justice and Sovereignty” list that was supported by opposition groups and the National Bloc. Fanj won a Sunni seat.

-Firas Salloum, a newcomer to the Parliament who ran on “The Real Change” list supported by Jama'ah al-Islamiyah. Salloum won an Alawite seat.

-Jamil Abboud, another new member of Parliament, who won a Greek Orthodox seat on the“Rescue of a Nation” list supported by the LF.

The winners are as follows for Minieh-Danniyeh:

-Jihad al-Samad, an incumbent MP who caucused with Faisal Karami and the Marada Movement in the 2018 Parliament. Samad, who was first elected to Parliament in 1996, won a Sunni seat running for “The People's Will,” list supported by pro-Hezbollah groups.

-Ahmed al-Khair, a newcomer to Parliament who ran on the “Lebanon Is Ours” list supported by former Future Movement members. Khair won a Sunni seat and is affiliated with the Future Movement.

-Abdelaziz al-Samad, another new member elected to Parliament on the “Lebanon Is Ours” list who is affiliated with the Future Movement. Samad won a Sunni seat. 

North I

In North I, which consists of Akkar, candidates contested seven seats — three Sunni, two Greek Orthodox, one Maronite, and one Alawite.

-Walid Baarini, an incumbent MP who caucused with the Future Movement in the 2018 Parliament. Baarini won a Sunni seat running on the “National Moderation” list supported by former Future Movement members.

-Mohamad Sleiman, another incumbent MP who caucused with the Future Movement in the 2018 Parliament. Sleiman also won a Sunni seat running on the “National Moderation” list supported by former Future Movement members.

-Asaad Dergham, an incumbent parliamentarian and member of the FPM who ran on the “Akkar First” list supported by his party. Dergham won a Greek Orthodox seat.

-Jimmy Jabbour, a newcomer to Parliament who ran on the “Akkar First” list supported by the FPM. Jabbout won the Maronite seat.

-Mohamed Yahya, who was elected for the first time to Parliament on the “Akkar First” list supported by the FPM. Yahya won a Sunni seat.

-Sagih Attieh, a newcomer to Parliament who ran on the National Moderation list supported by former Future Movement members. Attieh won a Greek Orthodox seat.

-Ahmad Rustom, a newcomer to the Parliament who ran on the National Moderation list supported by former Future Movement members. Rustom won the Alawite seat. 

Beirut II

Beirut II, which has 11 seats — six for Sunnis, two for Shiites, one for Greek-Orthodox, one for Protestants, and one for Druze, includes western Beirut.

The winners are as follows:

-Ibrahim Mneimneh, a Sunni newcomer to the Parliament, who ran with the “Beirut the Change” list, formed by Beirut Resists, Tahalof Watani, National Bloc, and allies in the opposition movement.

-Waddah Sadek, a Sunni newcomer to the Parliament, who ran with the “Beirut the Change” list, formed by Beirut Resists, Tahalof Watani, National Bloc, and allies in the opposition movement.

-Melhem Khalaf, who was elected to the Parliament for the first time running on the “Beirut the Change” list, formed by Beirut Resists, Tahalof Watani, National Bloc, and allies in the opposition movement. Khalaf won a Greek Orthodox seat.

-Fouad Makhzoumi, an independent Sunni incumbent who ran with his own list “Beirut Needs a Heart.” Makhzoumi was elected in 2018 to represent Beirut II. Makhzoumi is a billionaire businessman.

-Mohammad Badr ,who was elected to the Parliament for the first time running on the “This is Beirut” list backed by independent figures and Jama'ah al-Islamiyah. He ran in the 2018 parliamentary elections on the “Beirut al-Watan” list, losing with 854 preferred votes.

-Amin Sherri, a Shiite incumbent with Hezbollah, who ran with the “Beirut United” list, supported by the Hezbollah-Amal tandem. Sharri has served in Parliament since 2005.

-Mohamed Khawaja, a Shiite incumbent with Amal, who ran with the “Beirut United” list, supported by the Hezbollah-Amal tandem.

-Imad el-Hout, a Sunni linked to March 8 and a former MP in Beirut from 2009 until 2018, who ran with the “This is Beirut” list, supported by independent figures and Jama'ah al-Islamiyah.

-Adnan Traboulsi, a Sunni incumbent linked to March 8, who ran with the “To Beirut” list, supported by Ahbash and Beirut Families. Traboulsi was first elected in 2018.

-Edgard Traboulsi, who first won a Protestant seat in Parliament in 2018 and is a member of the FPM, ran on the “Beirut United,” supported by Hezbollah and Amal.

-Faisal al-Sayegh, an incumbent MP linked to the Progressive Socialist Party who ran on the “Beirut Confronts” list supported by the PSP and Fouad Siniora. Sayegh, who was first elected to Parliament in 2005, won a Druze seat.  

Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi announced parliamentary election results in the final three districts Tuesday morning, covering the Beirut II, North I and II districts. The races in these Sunni-majority districts were closely watched given Future Movement leader and former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s boycott of the elections, which left an open field for other Sunni politicians.

Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi is expected to announce the vote count results for the remaining districts — Beirut-II, North I and II — in a press conference at 10:30 a.m.

(Lebanon's Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi speaks during a press conference as he announces final results for some districts in Lebanon's parliamentary elections at the Interior Ministry in Beirut, Lebanon May 16, 2022. Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)

Videos circulated on social media overnight showed a group of men setting fire to the "thawra fist" in Martyrs' Square, set up by protesters as part of the protests that began Oct. 17, 2019 against the political class, overnight. A video circulating on social networks shows a dozen men waving Hezbollah flags and chanting "Shiites! Shiites!" 

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In North III, which is made up of the Batroun, Koura, Bsharri, and Zgharta districts, there were ten seats up for grabs — seven for Maronites and three for Greek Orthodox.

The winners are as follows for Batroun:

-Gebran Bassil, an incumbent MP who leads the FPM and won a Maronite seat. Bassil, one of the leading figures in Lebanon’s political establishment and multiple-time former minister, was on the “We Will Stay Here” list supported by his party.

-Ghayath Yazbeck, a newcomer to parliament who ran on “The Pulse of the Strong Republic” list supported by the LF. Yazbeck won a Maronite seat.

The winners are as follows for Zgharta:

-Tony Frangieh, an incumbent MP and the son of Marada Movement leader Sleiman Frangieh. Tony won a Maronite seat running on the “Unity of the North” list supported by his party and Asaad Hardan’s wing of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party.

-Michel Moawad, who won a seat in the 2018 Parliamentary elections before resigning after the Aug. 4, 2020 Beirut port explosion. Moawad won a Maronite seat running on the “The North of Confrontation,” supported by the Kataeb party.

-Michel Douaihy, a newcomer to Parliament running on the “Shamaluna” list supported by opposition groups, who won a Maronite seat.

The winners are as follows for Koura:

-Fadi Karam, who was elected to Parliament in a July 2012 by-election and failed to win one of the Greek Orthodox seats in the 2018 elections. Karam ran on “The Pulse of the Strong Republic” list supported by the LF.

-George Atallah, an incumbent FPM parliamentarian first elected in 2018 who ran on the “We Will Stay Here” list supported by his party. Atallah won a Greek Orthodox seat.

-Adib Abdelmassih, a newcomer to Parliament who ran on “The North of Confrontation” list supported by the Kataeb party and Michel Moawad. Abdelmassih won a Greek Orthodox seat.

The winners are as follows for Bsharri:

-Sethrida Geagea, an incumbent Maronite MP for the Lebanese Forces first elected to Parliament in 2005. Geagea ran on “The Pulse of the Strong Republic” list supported by her party.

Melhem (William) Tawk, a newcomer to Parliament who ran for a Maronite seat on the “Unity of the North” list supported by his party and Asaad Hardan’s wing of the SSNP.  

In South III, which includes the districts of Nabatieh, Bint Jbeil, and Marjayoun-Hasbaya, eleven seats were up for grabs — eight for Shiites, one Greek Orthodox, one Druze, one Sunni.

The winners were as follows for Marjayoun-Hasbaya:

-Elias Jaradeh, who ran on the “Together Towards Change” list supported by opposition groups. The surprise victor won a Greek Orthodox seat.

-Ali Fayyad, an incumbent Hezbollah MP who ran on the “Hope and Loyalty” list supported by his party and the Amal Movement. Fayyad, who won a Shiite seat, was first elected to Parliament in 2009.

-Ali Hassan Khalil, an incumbent Amal MP who also ran on the “Hope and Loyalty” list supported by his party and Hezbollah. Khalil, who was first elected to Parliament in 1996, is one of the former ministers targeted in Judge Tarek Bitar’s probe of the Aug. 4, 2020 Beirut Port explosion.

-Qassem Hashem, an incumbent Baath Party MP who caucused with Amal in the 2018 Parliament. Hashem, who was first elected to the Parliament in 2000, ran for a Sunni seat on the “Hope and Loyalty” list supported by the Amal-Hezbollah tandem.

-Firas Hamdan, a newcomer to Parliament, who ran for the Druze seat on the “Together Towards Change” list supported by opposition groups.

The winners were as follows for Bint Jbeil:

-Ayoub Hmayed, an incumbent Amal Movement MP first elected to the Parliament in 1992, who ran for a Shiite seat on the “Hope and Loyalty” list supported by his party and Hezbollah. Hamyed was social affairs minister in Rafik Hariri’s 1996-1998 cabinet and energy minister in Hariri’s 2003-2004 government.

-Hassan Fadlallah, an incumbent Hezbollah MP first elected to the Parliament in 2005, who also ran for a Shiite seat on the “Hope and Loyalty” list.

-Ashraf Beydoun, a newcomer to the Parliament elected to a Shiite seat on the “Hope and Loyalty” list supported by the Hezbollah-Amal tandem. Beydoun is affiliated with Amal.

The winners were as follows for Nabatieh:

-Mohammad Raad, an incumbent Hezbollah MP who first won a seat in Parliament in 1992, won a Shiite seat running on the “Hope and Loyalty” list supported by his party and Amal. Raad heads Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc.

-Hani Qobeisi, an incumbent Amal MP who first won a seat in Parliament in 2009, also won a Shiite seat running on the “Hope and Loyalty” list supported by his party and Hezbollah.

-Nasser Jaber, an Amal-affiliated newcomer to the Parliament who ran on the “Hope and Loyalty” list supported by Amal and Hezbollah. 

Seven women have won seats in Parliament so far, surpassing the total number of women elected in 2018, six.

The women candidates who have won seats so far are: Paula Yacoubian (Beirut I), Zeina Kamal Mounzer (Beirut II), Halima Ibrahim Kaakour  (Mount Lebanon IV), Najat Khatar Aoun (Mount Lebanon IV), Sethride Tawk Geagea (North III), Nada Boustany (Mount Lebanon I), Ghada Khalil Ayoub (South I) and Inaya Ezzedine (South II).

In Mount Lebanon IV, made up of the Aley and Chouf districts, there are thirteen seats — five for Maronites, four for Druze, two for Sunni, one for Greek Orthodox, and one for Greek Catholic.

The winners in Chouf are as follows:

-Halima Kaakour, a newcomer to the Parliament who ran on the “United for Change,” list supported by the opposition. She is a member of the Lebanese social democratic party.

-Najat Aoun, a newcomer to the Parliament who ran on the “United for Change,” list supported by the opposition. Aoun is a member of opposition group Taqaddom.

-Bilal Abdallah, an incumbent Sunni MP for the Progressive Socialist Party since 2018, who ran on the “Partnership and Will” list backed by his party and Lebanese Forces.

-Georges Adwan, an incumbent Maronite MP for the Lebanese Forces, who ran on the “Partnership and Will” list backed by the PSP and Lebanese Forces. Adwan has represented the Chouf since 2005.

-Marwan Hamadeh, a Druze MP for the Progressive Socialist Party who first won a seat in 1992. He resigned after the Aug. 4, 2020 Beirut port explosion. A multiple-time former minister, Hamadeh is a long-time fixture of Lebanon’s political establishment.

-Teymour Joumblatt, a Druze incumbent with the Progressive Socialist Party since 2018. His father, Walid Joumblatt, held this seat from 1992 to 2018.

-Farid Boustany, a Maronite incumbent with the Free Patriotic Movement, who ran on “The Mountain” list.

-Ghassan Attallah, a Greek Catholic newcomer with the Free Patriotic Movement, who ran on “The Mountain” list. He served as minister of the displaced under Saad Hariri’s 2010-2020 government.

The winners in Aley are as follows:

-Mark Daou, a newcomer to the Parliament who ran on the “United for Change,” list supported by the opposition. Daou is a member of opposition group Taqaddom.

-Akram Chehayeb, a Druze MP for the Progressive Socialist Party first elected to Parliament in 1992, who ran on the “Partnership and Will” list. He is a four-time former minister.

-Nazih Matta, a Greek Orthodox newcomer for the Lebanese Forces, who ran on the “Partnership and Will” list.

-Ragy El Saad, a Maronite newcomer linked to the Lebanese Forces, who ran on the “Partnership and Will” list.

-Cesar Abi Khalil, a Maronite incumbent with the Free Patriotic Movement, who ran on “The Mountain” list. Abi Khalil, who was first elected to Parliament in 2018, served as energy minister in Saad Hariri’s 2016-2019 government.  

In Mount Lebanon II, which has eight seats — four Maronite, two Greek Orthodox, one Armenian Orthodox and one Greek Catholic — encompasses the Metn area.

The winners are as follows:

-Elias Hankash, who won a seat in the 2018 Parliament for the Kataeb party before resigning following the Aug. 4, 2020 Beirut port explosion alongside other members of his party. Hankash ran on the “Metn the Change” list supported by the Kataeb.

- Sami Gemayel, the leader of Kataeb who resigned from Parliament following the Beirut port blast. Gemayel, who was first elected to Parliament in 2009, ran on the “Metn the Change” list supported by his party. He is the son of former President Amine Gemayel.

- Melhem Riachi, a Greek Catholic newcomer to the Parliament with the Lebanese Forces, who ran with “The Free Metn” list, supported by his party. Riachi served as information minister in Saad Hariri’s 2016-2019 cabinet.

- Hagop Pakradounian, an Armenian Orthodox incumbent with Tashnag, who ran with the “Together We are Stronger” list, supported by Michel Murr and Tachnag. Pakradounian has represented the Metn in Parliament since 2005.

- Michel Murr, a Greek Orthodox independent newcomer to the Parliament, who ran with his list “Together We are Stronger,” also supported by Tachnag. He is the grandson of Michel Murr, a longtime Metn deputy who died in office in January 2021.

- Elias Bou Saab, a Greek Orthodox incumbent who ran with the “We Were and Will Remain for Metn” list, supported by the FPM. Bou Saab is a former defense and education minister in Saad Hariri’s 2019-2020 cabinet and Tammam Salam’s 2014-2016 government.

- Ibrahim Kanaan, a Maronite incumbent with the Free Patriotic Movement, who ran with the “We Were and Will Remain for Metn” list, supported by his party. Kanaan has represented the Metn since 2005 and heads the Parliamentary Finance and Budget Committee accused by critics of obstructing reforms amid Lebanon’s financial collapse since late 2019.

- Razi al-Hajj, a newcomer to Parliament who ran on “The Free Metn” list supported by the LF. Hajj won a Maronite seat.  

In Beirut I, which has eight seats — three Armenian Orthodox, one Armenian Catholic, one Greek Orthodox, one Maronite, one Greek Catholic, and one for minorities — encompasses the eastern part of the capital which was devastated after the Aug. 4, 2020 port blast.

The winners were as follows:

- Paula Yacoubian, an Armenian Orthodox who won a seat in the 2018 parliament before resigning after the Aug. 4, 2020 Beirut port explosion. She ran with the “Li Watani” opposition list.

- Ghassan Hasbani, a Greek Orthodox newcomer to Parliament, who ran with the Lebanese Forces on their “We Are for Beirut” list.Hasbani served two terms as deputy premier in Saad Hariri’s cabinets from 2016 to 2020.

-Jihad Pakradouni, an Armenian Orthodox newcomer to Parliament, who ran on the Lebanese Forces-backed list “We Are for Beirut.”

-Jean Talouzian, an Armenian Catholic incumbent MP seen as close to Société Générale de Banque au Liban (SGBL) chairman Antoun Sehnaoui. Talouzian ran on the “Sovereign Lebanon” list, which was a joint offering between local power brokers and the Kataeb party. He first entered Parliament in 2018.

-Nadim Gemayel, a Maronite incumbent MP who ran on the Kataeb-backed “Sovereign Lebanon” list. Gemayel first entered Parliament in 2009 and was re-elected in 2018. He is the son of former President-elect Bachir Gemayel, who was assassinated in 1982.

-Hagop Terzian, a current Armenian Orthodox MP for the Tashnag Party, who ran on a joint Tashnag-Free Patriotic Movement list titled “We Were and Will Remain in Beirut.” Terzian was first elected in 2018.

-Nicolas Sehnaoui, a Greek Catholic MP with the Free Patriotic Movement, who ran on the party’s joint list with Tashnag. He joined Parliament in 2018.

-Cythia Fadi Zarazir, a newcomer to Parliament, who ran with the “Li Watani” opposition list for the seat reserved for Christian minorities.  

After a nail-biting race, journalist Jad Ghosn, a candidate in Mount Lebanon II who ran with the opposition party Citizens in a State (MMFD) in a joint list with other opposition groups, told Al Jadeed TV that he had lost by 88 votes.

Despite initial results Sunday showing that he had lost, Ghosn gained momentum as the expat votes were being counted on Monday. A torn bag of diaspora votes at the Baskinta polling station had become a point of contention in the margin between Ghosn and Lebanese Forces candidate Razi al-Hajj. The votes in question were ultimately disqualified, but the final vote count saw Ghosn fall behind.

(Journalist Jad Ghosn ran for May's parliamentary elections in Metn district. Credit: @Jad_Ghosn/Twitter)

Telecom providers Alfa and Touch on Monday congratulated themselves in a statement, saying they “succeeded, in close cooperation with the Telecommunications Ministry, in maintaining the stability of their networks on election day” despite increased usage, the National News Agency reported.

The torn bag of diaspora votes at the Baskinta polling station will determine the remaining seat up for grabs in the Mount Lebanon II constituency between opposition candidate Jad Ghosn and Lebanese Forces candidate Razi al-Hajj, a member of Ghosn’s “Towards a State” list told L’Orient Today.

In Mount Lebanon III, the winners are as follows:

-Alain Aoun, a Maronite incumbent with the Free Patriotic Movement who ran with “The National Accord List,” supported by the Free Patriotic Movement and the Amal-Hezbollah tandem.

-Pierre Bou Assi, a Maronite incumbent with the Lebanese Forces who ran with the “Baabda, Sovereignty and Decision” list, supported by the PSP and the Lebanese Forces.

-Camille Dory Chamoun, a Maronite newcomer to Parliament with the Lebanese Forces, who ran with the “Baabda, Sovereignty and Decision” list, supported by the PSP and the Lebanese Forces.

-Ali Ammar, a Shiite incumbent with Hezbollah who ran with “The National Accord List,” supported by the Free Patriotic Movement and the Amal-Hezbollah tandem.

-Fadi Alameh, a Shiite incumbent with Amal who ran with “The National Accord List,” supported by the Free Patriotic Movement and the Amal-Hezbollah tandem.

-Hadi Abou el-Hassan, a Druze incumbent with PSP who ran with the “Baabda, Sovereignty and Decision” list, supported by the PSP and the Lebanese Forces.  

Mount Lebanon I is expected to be a battleground between the Free Patriotic Movement and Lebanese Forces, both parties wound up with two seats each. The constituency, comprising Kesrouan and Jbeil districts, is composed of seven Maronite seats and one Shiite, which a Hezbollah-backed candidate won.

The winners are as follows for Kesrouan:

-Nada Boustany, a former energy minister under Saad Hariri’s 2019-2020 government, who won one of the Maronite seats for the FPM, who ran with the “We were and Will Remain” list.

-Neemat Frem, a Maronite who won a seat in the 2018 parliament before resigning after the Aug. 4, 2020 Beirut port explosion who ran with the “Cry of the Nation” list

-Chawki Daccache, a Maronite incumbent MP for the Lebanese Forces who ran with the “With You We Can All the Way” list

-Salim Sayegh, a Maronite newcomer MP for the Kataeb party who ran with the “Cry of the Nation” list. He served as Social Affairs Minister in Saad Hariri’s 2009-2011 government.

-Farid Jean Heiykal el-Khazen, a Maronite incumbent MP without party affiliation who caucused with the Marada Movement in the 2018 Parliament. He ran with “The independent heart of Lebanon” list.

The winners are as follows for Jbeil:

-Ziad Hawat, a Maronite incumbent MP for the Lebanese Forces, ran with the “With You We Can All the Way” list. He is the former Mayor of Byblos (2010-2016).

-Simon Farid Abi Ramiaa Maronite incumbent MP for the Free Patriotic Movement, who ran with the “We were and Will Remain” list.

-Raed Berro, won the Shiite seat for the Free Patriotic Movement, and ran with the “We were and Will Remain” list. 

The Bekaa III constituency, which consists of the northeastern Baalbek-Hermel governorate, includes ten seats: six Shiite, two Sunni, one Maronite and one Greek Catholic. It is considered a political base for Hezbollah, whose list sweeped nine of ten available seats, while the party’s archrivals, the Lebanese Forces, won the remaining one.

The winners are as follows:

-Hussein Hajj Hasan, an incumbent Shiite MP for Hezbollah, who ran with Hezbollah and Amal’s “Hope and Loyalty” list.

-Ali Miqdad, an incumbent Shiite MP for Hezbollah who ran with the “Hope and Loyalty” list.

-Ibrahim Moussawi, an incumbent Shiite MP for Hezbollah who ran with the “Hope and Loyalty” list.

-Ihab Hamadeh, an incumbent Shiite MP for Hezbollah who ran with the “Hope and Loyalty” list.

-Ghazi Zeaiter, an incumbent Shiite MP for Amal who ran with the “Hope and Loyalty” list.

-Jamil al-Sayyed, an incumbent Shiite parliamentarian close to Hezbollah and Amal but independent of both parties, and former head of General Security who ran with the “Hope and Loyalty” list.

-Samer Asaad el-Tom, a Greek Catholic candidate backed by the Free Patriotic Movement who ran with the “Hope and Loyalty” list.

-Yanal Solh, one of the candidates for the two Sunni seats in Bekaa III who ran with the “Hope and Loyalty” list.

-Melhem Hojeiri, another one of the candidates for the two Sunni seats in the constituency who ran with the “Hope and Loyalty” list.

-Antoine Habchi, an incumbent MP for the Lebanese Forces, who ran with their “Building the State” list. 

Bekaa II, which includes the western Bekaa and Rachaya districts, consists of six seats: two Sunni, one Shiite, one Druze, one Maronite and one Greek Orthodox. Elie Ferzli, the deputy speaker of the Parliament, fell to a shock loss in this constituency.

The winners are as follows:

-Yassin Yassin, an opposition candidate for the “Sahlouna wal Jabal” list who will enter Parliament for the first time, holding one of the Sunni seats.

-Charbel Maroun, a Maronite, FPM candidate for the “A Better Tomorrow” list.

-Hassan Mrad, a Sunni candidate for the “A Better Tomorrow” list and another Parliamentary newcomer.

-Qablan Qabalan, a Shiite candidate for the “A Better Tomorrow” list, who is affiliated with Amal.

-Ghassan Skaff, a Greek Orthodox candidate for “The National Decision” list supported by the PSP and former Future Movement figures. Skaff is another new parliamentarian.

-Wael Abu Faour, an incumbent Druze MP for the PSP, who ran with “The National Decision” list.  

Bekaa I, which consists of the town of Zahle, is composed of seven seats: two Greek Catholic, one Greek Orthodox, one Maronite, one Armenian Orthodox, one Sunni and one Shiite.

The winners are as follows:

-Michel Daher, an incumbent, independent, MP who won a Greek Catholic seat running with the “Independent Sovereignists” list. He was a member of FPM’s parliamentary bloc after the 2018 elections.

-George Boujikian, the current Interior Minister minister, who won the Armenian Orthodox seat for the Tashnag Party with the “Zahle the Message” list supported by Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement.

-Rami Abu Hamdan, another newcomer to Parliament, who won the Shiite seat for Hezbollah with the “Zahle the Message” list .

-Salim Aoun, an incumbent Maronite MP for the FPM, with the “Zahle the Message” list .

-Bilal al-Hashimi, a Future Movement-affiliated newcomer to Parliament who won the Sunni seat with the “Zahle the Sovereign” list supported by the Lebanese Forces.

-Elias Estefan, another new member of Parliament who won a  Greek Orthodox seat for the Lebanese Forces with the “Zahle the Sovereign” list.

-George Okais, an incumbent MP for the LF who won a Greek Catholic seat with the “Zahle the Sovereign” list. 

In South II, considered a political base of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, the “Hope and Loyalty” list supported by the Amal Movement and Hezbollah won a clean sweep of all seven seats: six Shiite and one Greek Catholic. The constituency is divided between the Sour and Zahrani districts.

The winners are as follows for Sour:

-Ali Khreis, an incumbent Shiite MP for Amal.

-Inaya Ezzedine, an incumbent Shiite MP for Amal one of the few female MPs in the 2018 Parliament and the only female MP for the Amal Movement.

-Hussein Jashi, an incumbent Shiite MP for Hezbollah.

-Hassan Ezzeddine, a Shiite newcomer to Parliament for Hezbollah.

The winners are as follows for Zahrani:

-Nabih Berri, an incumbent Shiite MP for Amal, which he heads. He has been Speaker of Parliament since 1992.

-Ali Osseiran, an incumbent Shiite MP for Amal.

-Michel Moussa, an incumbent Greek Catholic MP who caucuses with Amal. 

In South I, which has five seats — two Sunni, two Maronite and one Greek Catholic — the winners were split between the “Our Unity in Saida and Jezzine” list supported by former Future Movement members and the “We Vote for Change” list of independents led by incumbent MP Oussama Saad of the Popular Nasserist Organization.

The winners are as follows:

-Ghada Khalil Ayoub, a Greek-Catholic newcomer to Parliament who ran with the Lebanese Forces on the “Our Unity in Saida and Jezzine” list supported by former Future Movement members.

-Saeed Sleiman Asmar, a Maronite newcomer to Parliament who ran with the “Our Unity in Saida and Jezzine” list.

-Abdel Rahman Bizri, an independent Sunni newcomer to Parliament known for his role as the former mayor of Saida and the head of Lebanon’s COVID-19 vaccination committee, who ran with the “We Vote for Change” list.

-Charbel Maroud Masaad, an independent Maronite newcomer to Parliament who ran with the “We Vote for Change” list.

-Oussama Maarouf Saad, a Sunni incumbent with the Popular Nasserist Organization party who ran with the “We Vote for Change” list. 

Nearly 24 hours since the official end of voting in Lebanon’s Parliamentary elections, Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi on Monday announced the results of seven voting constituencies — South I, South II, Mount Lebanon I, Mount Lebanon III, Bekaa I, Bekaa II, and Bekaa III — making up 49 seats in Parliament.

Ali Mrad, a candidate on the “Together Towards Change” list running in the South III constituency, supported by opposition groups, told Al-Jadeed TV that a box of diaspora votes from France was disqualified because it was not properly certified.

He added that another box of diaspora votes from Qatar, with votes favorable to his list, was under review for disqualification.  

Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi will hold a press conference at 5 p.m. to announce the results of races that have been confirmed so far, the state-run National News Agency reported. 

Photo: Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi. (Credit: NNA)

Jad Ghosn, an opposition candidate on the Towards a State list running in the Mount Lebanon II constituency, told Al-Jadeed TV that one of the bags of diaspora votes in Baskinta village “was ripped, unsealed and supposed to include 363 votes, but instead had 259.”

#جاد_غصن : كل من يدّعي بأن خسارتي مؤكدة ينشر معلومات مغلوطة والفارق بين الأصوات ضئيل جداً .. وهذا ما قاله عن "كيس "ممزق !@Jad_Ghosn @adamchams #السلطة_للشعب#انتخابات_لبنان_2022 #لبنان_ينتخب #انتخابات2022 pic.twitter.com/zhrjTuMZ1D

— Al Jadeed News (@ALJADEEDNEWS) May 16, 2022

“We are calling for the bag to be disqualified because god knows what happened to it,” he said, adding, “I won’t exaggerate in objecting, we will wait for the results to come, although they include many gaps. But we already knew this and we are dealing with it now and the race is close.” 

Hezbollah and its allies are likely to lose their majority in the Lebanese Parliament, three sources allied to the group told Reuters on Monday, citing preliminary results that showed it was “improbable” they would scure more than 64 seats in the legislature.

Hezbollah and its allies had won 71 seats in the 2018 parliamentary elections. 

The media office of MP Michel Daher, a Greek Catholic candidate running on the “Independent Sovereignists” list in the Bekaa I constituency, said that he has won re-election to the Parliament. Daher is non-party affiliated MP who formerly caucused with the FPM’s bloc in the legislature.

Meanwhile, the press office of MP Farid Haykal Khazen, a Maronite candidate running on the “The Heart of Independent Lebanon” list supported by independent figures, said that he has won re-election to the Parliament. Khazen is a non-party affiliated parliamentarian.  

The Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections said during a press conference Monday that it was “still too early to conclude whether the [voting] process was fair and transparent,” adding that the civil society group would issue a report next week documenting all the alleged violations it had detected.

Despite these elections being long-awaited, after the popular uprisings of October 2019 and the economic crisis, they were disappointing and the process was emptied of its democratic meaning. While the government considered holding elections to be an achievement in itself, the number of violations recorded in the field does not reflect an achievement in any way,” a LADE representative said.

The electoral machine of the Progressive Socialist Party has published preliminary results for the Mount Lebanon IV constituency, which consists of five Maronite seats, one Greek Orthodox, one Greek Catholic, four Druze and two Sunni. The PSP’s initial tally provides the following vote counts in the Chouf and Aley:

Chouf

- Teymour Joumblatt, a Druze candidate on the “Partnership and Will” list, supported by the PSP — which he is a member of — as well as the Lebanese Forces, received 10,762 votes. Joumblatt is an incumbent parliamentarian.

- Marwan Hamade, a Druze candidate on the “Partnership and Will” list, received 10,565 votes. Hamade was elected to the 2018 Parliament before resigning after the Aug. 4, 2020 Beirut port explosion.

- Bilal Abdallah, a Sunni candidate on the “Partnership and Will” list, received 5,947 votes. Abdallah is an incumbent parliamentarian and member of the PSP.

- Georges Adwan, a Maronite candidate on the “Partnership and Will” list, received 5,636 votes. Adwan is an incumbent parliamentarian and member of the LF.

- Najat Khattar Aoun, a Maronite candidate on the “United for Change” list, supported by opposition groups, received 5,574 votes.

- Halime Kaakour, a Sunni candidate on the “United for Change” list, received 4,941 votes.

- Farid Boustany, a Maronite candidate on “The Mountain” list, supported by the Free Patriotic Movement and others, received 2,998 votes. Boustany is an incumbent parliamentarian.

- Ghassan Atallah, a Greek Catholic candidate on “The Mountain” list, received 2,854 votes.

Aley

- Akram Chehayeb, a Druze candidate on the “Partnership and Will” list, supported by the PSP and LF, received 10,300 votes. Chehayeb is an incumbent parliamentarian and a member of the PSP.

- Marc Daou, a Druze candidate on the “United for Change” list, supported by opposition groups, received 7,950 votes.

- Ragy El-Saad, a Maronite candidate on the “Partnership and Will” list, received 7,583 votes.

- Nazih Matta, a Greek Orthodox candidate on the “Partnership and Will” list, received 5,480 votes.

- Cesar Abi Khalil, a Maronite candidate on “The Mountain” list, supported by the FPM and others, received 3,514 votes. Abi Khalil is an incumbent parliamentarian and FPM member.  

The situation outside the governmental building in Jub Jennin, where contested votes for MP Elie Ferzli are being counted, is tense, L’Orient Today’s correspondent reported, adding that Lebanese Army troops have deployed in the western Bekaa town.

Photo: Lebanese Army troops in Jub Jennin. (Credit: Sara Abdallah/L'Orient-Le Jour) 

While official votes are still to be announced, some parliament candidates and politicians took to social media to share their input on the 2022 legislative elections on Monday morning, with some even announcing their defeat or win.

Jamil Sayyed, MP who was sanctioned by the U.S. earlier in October 2021, tweeted: “Fortunately for Samir Geagea in the Baalbek-Hermel district, our list was concerned with inflating some of its members with preferential votes to increase their size, instead of allocating those votes to candidate [Aaqid] Hadsheti, which would have inevitably led to the candidate Antoine Habashi’s loss and it is also fortunate for Geagea that they forgot about him and focused their efforts on downsizing Jamil Sayyed…Congratulations.”

Abed al-Rahman Bizri said, in an interview with VDL, that the “We Vote for Change” list secured him and Osama Saad seats in Saida, with the possibility of winning a third seat in Jezzine, according to the preliminary unofficial results. He pointed out the “need for a real gathering of representatives calling for real reform,” saying “re-awakening the country requires cooperation, and the results throughout the country have shown that the mood of the Lebanese people and their orientations tend towards reform.”

Yassin Yassin and Maggy Aoun, candidates on the opposition “Sahlouna Wal Jabal” list, are moving toward filing a legal appeal against election results in Bekaa II amid allegations voting was tampered in favor of MP Elie Ferzli, L’Orient Today’s correspondent in the region reported.

Former PM Saad Hariri, who stepped aside from politics in January, tweeted Monday that “the elections have ended and Lebanon is facing a new turning point. The real victory is new blood in the political scene.”

“Our decision to withdraw was correct,” the Future Movement leader said about his party’s decision not to run in the Parliamentary elections held yesterday.

“Shaking the structures of political dysfunction does not mean abandoning our responsibilities.” 

انتهت الانتخابات ولبنان أمام منعطف جديد. الانتصار الحقيقي لدخول دم جديد الى الحياة السياسية. قرارنا بالانسحاب كان صائباً. هز هياكل الخلل السياسي وهو لا يعني التخلي عن مسؤولياتنا. سنبقى حيث نحن نحمل حلم #رفيق_الحريري ونفتح قلوبنا وبيوتنا للناس. نسأل الله ان يحمي #لبنان.

— Saad Hariri (@saadhariri) May 16, 2022

The “Sahlouna Wal Jabal” electoral list backed by local opposition groups in the Bekaa II constituency has objected to a box of 256 votes from Syria, mostly cast for the “A Better Tomorrow” list, which includes MP Elie Ferzli, a source close to the “Sahlouna Wal Jabal” list told L'Orient Today's correspondent in the region.

Ferzli had been reportedly set for an electoral defeat, according to a preliminary vote tally by the Free Patriotic Movement’s electoral machine and other media reports.  

UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka congratulated Lebanon “on the conduct of timeline parliamentary elections,” calling them the first step “in response to people’s expectations.”

“Many challenges lie ahead, particularly restoring citizen’s trust in State institutions. Lebanon deserves a better future. The UN stands ready to support” the country, she added in a tweet. 

Congratulations #Lebanon on the conduct of timely parliamentary #elections as a 1st step in response to people's expectations. Many challenges lie ahead, particularly restoring citizen’s trust in State institutions. Lebanon deserves a better future. The UN stands ready to support

— Joanna Wronecka (@JWronecka) May 16, 2022

Hezbollah’s electoral machine has claimed victory for nine members of the “Hope and Loyalty” list, also supported by the Amal Movement, running in Bekaa III, the National News Agency reported.

The winning candidates from the “Hope and Loyalty” list include:

-Hussein Hajj Hasan, an incumbent Shiite parliamentarian representing Hezbollah.

-Ali Mokdad, an incumbent Shiite parliamentarian representing Hezbollah.

-Ibrahim Mousawi, an incumbent Shiite parliamentarian representing Hebollah.

-Ihab Hamada, an incumbent Shiite parliamentarian representing Hezbollah.

-Ghazi Zeaiter, an incumbent Shiite parliamentarian representing the Amal Movement.

-Jamil al-Sayyed, an incumbent Shiite parliamentarian without party affiliation. 

-Samer Toum, a Greek Catholic candidate backed by the Free Patriotic Movement.

-Yanal Solh, one of the candidates for the two Sunni seats in Bekaa III.

-Melhem Hojeiri, another one of the candidates for the two Sunni seats in the constituency.

Hezbollah’s electoral machine also acknowledged the victory of Antoine Habchi, an incumbent Lebanese Forces parliamentarian who was re-elected to Parliament from Bekaa III’s sole Maronite seat.  

Photo: Hezbollah supporters ride on motorbikes in Beirut's southern suburbs on May 9, 2022. (Credit: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)

The Lebanese Forces’ electoral machine has issued a list of twelve of the party’s candidates that it says it can confirm won seats already in the Parliamentary elections:

-Ghassan Hasbani, a Greek-Orthodox candidate on the “We Are for Beirut” list running in Beirut I. Hasbani served as deputy premier in Saad Hariri’s 2016-2019 cabinet.

-Ziad Hawat, a Maronite candidate on the “With You, We Can Until the End” list running in Mount Lebanon I. Hawat is an incumbent parliamentarian.

-Chawki Daccache, a Maronite candidate of the “With You, We Can Until the End” list running in Mount Lebanon I. Daccache is an incumbent parliamentarian.

-Melhem Riachi, a Greek Catholic candidate on the “The Free Metn” list running in Mount Lebanon II. Riachi was the information minister in Saad Hariri’s 2016-2019 cabinet.

-Pierre Bou Assi, a Maronite candidate on the “Baabda, Sovereignty and Decision” list also supported by the Progressive Socialist Party running in Mount Lebanon III. Bou Assi is an incumbent parliamentarian.

-Georges Adwan, a Maronite candidate on the “Partnership and Will” list also supported by the Progressive Socialist Party running in Mount Lebanon IV. Adwan is an incumbent parliamentarian.

-Elias Khoury, a Maronite candidate on the “Rescue of a Nation” list also supported by Ashraf Rifi running in North Lebanon II.

-Sethrida Geagea, a Maronite candidate on the “The Pulse of the Strong Republic” list running in North Lebanon III. Geagea is an incumbent parliamentarian.

-Ghada Ayoub, a Greek Catholic candidate on the “Our Unity in Saida and Jezzine” list running in South I.

-Elias Stephan, a Greek Orthodox candidate on the “Zahle the Sovereign” list running in Bekaa I.

-George Okais, a Greek Orthodox candidate on the “Zahle the Sovereign” list running in Bekaa I. Okais is an incumbent parliamentarian.

-Antoine Habchi, a Maronite candidate on the “Building the State” list running in Bekaa III. Habchi is an incumbent parliamentarian.

The LF told Reuters last night that it believes it won at least 20 total seats in Parliament.  

Photo: LF supporters celebrating Sunday night in Batroun. (Credit:Ibrahim Chalhoub/AFP)

Arab Tawhid Party head Wiam Wahhab on Monday appeared to acknowledge his electoral loss in the Mount Lebanon IV constituency, tweeting that he regrets “the betrayal we’ve suffered from those who believed the lies and chose humiliation over freedom.”

“Congratulations for the noose around your neck and thank you for freeing me,” he also wrote, adding, “Update us in a year about the achievements of your deputies.” 

The Arab League’s election monitoring delegation in Lebanon, headed by the League’s deputy secretary general Ahmed Rachid Khattabi, will hold a press conference today at 4 p.m., the National News Agency reported.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati said that his government “succeeded in holding the elections despite sharp political division and tensions,” adding that “discrepancies and abuses that were recorded on election day were possible to resolve through legal and political measures.”

In a statement, the premier said that his government had “implemented its ministerial program.” Mikati’s cabinet, formed last September, will be replaced following the start of the new Parliament’s mandate.

Mikati also expressed his hopes that “everyone will cooperate in the next phase to complete the rescue stages required” while telling incoming MPs to “follow constitutional steps as quickly as possible."

Photo: Najib Mikati during a press conference in December 2021. (Credit: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)

According to the Free Patriotic Movement’s political machine, incumbent parliamentarian Elie Ferzli has lost his seat in the elections in the Bekaa II constituency that covers the Bekaa West-Rachaya districts.

A child in Minyeh is in critical condition after being struck by a stray bullet fired overnight amid gunfire into the air following the elections, the National News Agency reported.

The state-run agency said that candidates were asked to tell their supporters to stop shooting into the air.

Other regions of Lebanon reported gunfire into the air Sunday night following the vote, with a rocket-propelled grenade being heard in southeastern Beirut in the late hours.  

In a press conference Sunday night, Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi denied a reported from the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections that vote counting at a center in the Beirut I constituency was taking place in the dark.

The minister said that “no sorting took place in the dark,” adding that there had been a temporary power outage at the polling center in Karantina before the counting process could begin.

Mawlawi rejected dubbing the election turnout as disasspointing, while claiming that “all security, logistical and administrative problems were resolved quickly.” 

Lebanon awaits the results of the Parliamentary elections held Sunday, which witnessed a relatively low turnout of 41.04 percent, according to Interior Ministry figures from last night, amid voter apathy.

Preliminary results indicate a handful of surprising wins by opposition candidates against establishment candidates, including in Aley where Mark Daou’s campaign manager is claiming a victory over Talal Arslan, the leader of the Lebanese Democratic Party whose family has been a long-time fixture in Lebanon’s political history.

In the South III constituency, Elias Jaradeh of the opposition list Together Towards Change claimed a victory, contesting a list backed by Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, with the candidate telling Reuters his victory marked “a new beginning for the south and for Lebanon as a whole.”

Among the establishment heavyweights of Maronite politics, the Lebanese Forces claimed to Reuters it had won at least 20 seats, an increase from its 2018 tally of 15, while its rivals the Free Patriotic Movement were more pessimistic, forecasting up to 16 seats in the Parliament.  

Photo: An electoral worker empties a ballot box after polls closed during Lebanon's parliamentary election in Beirut on Sunday. (Credit: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)