2022 winners as per the final results shared by the Ministry of Interior for the districts of Bekaa I, II & III, Mount-Lebanon I and South-Lebanon II & II. (Credit: Richard Salame and Iva Kovic)
BEIRUT — 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.
“Despite all the difficulties and doubts, we were able to carry out the elections in a very good manner,” Mawlawi said in a press conference where he presented the results.
The elections have been plagued by allegations of improprieties in some areas, including alleged ballot tampering.
“All the problems that are being talked about, we are following up on them,” the Interior Minister said.
South I
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 Maroun 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.
South II
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.
Mount Lebanon I
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 Free Patriotic Movement, 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.
Mount Lebanon III
In Baabda, there was also a battle between the Lebanese Forces and Free Patriotic Movement which includes a big number of Shiite voters.
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 Progressive Socialist Party 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 Progressive Socialist Party 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 Progressive Socialist Party who ran with the “Baabda, Sovereignty and Decision” list, supported by the Progressive Socialist Party and the Lebanese Forces.
Bekaa I
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 Free Patriotic Movement’s parliamentary bloc after the 2018 elections.
-George Boujikian, the current Industry 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 Free Patriotic Movement, 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 Lebanese Forces who won a Greek Catholic seat with the “Zahle the Sovereign” list.
Bekaa II
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, Free Patriotic Movement 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 Progressive Socialist Party and former Future Movement figures. Skaff is another new parliamentarian.
-Wael Abu Faour, an incumbent Druze MP for the Progressive Socialist Party, who ran with “The National Decision” list.
Bekaa III
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.