March 14 Wins Elections, Baroud Announces Final Results

March 14 Wins Elections, Baroud Announces Final Results

The official tally for the parlaimentary elections shows the winning coalition with 71seats out of 128 versus 57 for the March 8 alliance, Interior Minister Ziad Baroud announced Monday at a press conference a day after Lebanon”s old parliamentary majority claimed election victory.

Hizbullah has not officially conceded yet. Its TV station said leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will speak late Monday.

Baroud said three seats went to independents. The allocation was largely unchanged from the outgoing legislature, ensuring that the same disputes will continue to roil the political scene.

According to the final breakdown the Shouf district witnessed a 50% turnout; Beirut Three 40%; Beirut Two 27%; Marjeyoun 46%; Accar 53%; Beirut One 40%; Metn 56%; Baabda 55%; Tripoli 45% and Zahle 56%, Baroud said.

Celebratory gunfire rattled through Beirut around midnight following news that March 14 scored victory in Lebanon”s crucial elections and fireworks exploded and the champagne flowed.

Newspapers on Monday said elections dealt a blow to the March 8 alliance.

"They were broken … Lebanon wins," read a headline in pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat, in reference to the Hizbullah alliance.

"The majority is back," screamed al-Akhbar newspaper, which is close to Hizbullah. "The opposition suffered a great defeat."

Al-Akhbar believed Lebanon now stood at a crossroads that could lead to a political crisis similar to the one that brought the country close to civil war in May 2008.

"The opposition lost the elections and remains in the opposition," it said. "The March 14 won and retains the majority."

Al-Mustaqbal newspaper, for its part, said March 14 had won 71 seats in the 128-seat parliament and Hizbullah and its allies had won 57 seats.

"Elections once again lead to a parliament of national divisions," was the headline in the pro-opposition daily As-Safir.

"The majority managed to convince a great number of voters, especially Christians, by using propaganda and catchy slogans," it said.

As-Safir, however, questioned whether the two opponent camps will now be able to form a national unity government.

"What kind of government will emerge from these elections?" it asked. "Will the opposition insist once again on having a blocking minority and will the majority refuse once again to give it to them?

"Should we already brace ourselves for a new political crisis?" As-Safir added.

Turnout nationwide was about 52.3 percent up from 45.8 percent in 2005.