BEIRUT — A few hours after the first batch of Lebanon’s parliamentary election results were officially announced, Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi announced a little after 10 p.m. the winners of the Beirut I, Mount Lebanon II, and Mount Lebanon IV constituencies, making up 29 seats.
After a close race, opposition candidate Jad Ghosn lost a Maronite parliamentary seat in Mount Lebanon II after long hours of waiting for a ruling over disputed expat votes by the Higher Registration Committee, a committee made up of judicial appointees responsible for ruling on election-related disputes.
Ghosn, a former television journalist and current podcastert, ran with the opposition party Citizens in a State (MMFD), which formed a joint list with other opposition groups in the Metn.
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.
Mawlawi earlier announced the results of the South I, South II, Mount Lebanon I, Mount Lebanon III, Bekaa I, Bekaa II, and Bekaa III — making up 49 seats in Parliament — following a nearly 24 hour wait.
The winners of Beirut I, Mount Lebanon II, and Mount Lebanon IV are below:
Beirut I
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.
Mount Lebanon II
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.
Mount Lebanon IV
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.