Roundup: Lebanese opposition wins majority in parliamentary election

Lebanon's parliamentary election ended late Monday with the main opposition alliance led by Saad al- Hariri, the son of slain former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, winning an eight-seat majority in parliament.

Interior Minister Hassan Sabei confirmed that Hariri's anti- Syrian list had swept all 28 seats up for grabs in northern Lebanon on Sunday in the final round of the parliamentary election, the first in Lebanon since Syria withdrew its troops after a 29- year presence.

Hariri's Future bloc now controls 72 of the 128 seats in parliament against 35 for the pro-Syrian alliance led by Shiite factions Amal and Hezbollah, and 21 for an unlikely alliance between Christian opposition firebrand Michel Aoun and longtime friends of Damascus.

NEW PARLIAMENT HEAD TO BE NAMED

On Tuesday, parliamentary sources said the parliament will hold its first session next week to name a new speaker.

Outgoing President of the National Assembly Nabih Berri and eldest parliament member Admoun Naeem reached an agreement on the new appointment, said the sources.

Besides the president, a deputy president, two secretaries and three committee chairmen are expected to be elected at the first parliamentary session without Syrian influence since the end of its 1975-1990 civil war.

Lebanon held the first parliamentary election on four consecutive Sundays from May 29 till June 19 in the country after Syria pulled out its troops in late April, ending its 29-year military presence in Lebanon under mounting international pressure following the assassination of Rafik al-Hariri.

Lebanese President Emile Lahoud Tuesday accepted the resignation of caretaker cabinet led by Prime Minister Najib Mikati and asked it to keep running daily affairs of the country until a new government is formed.

LEBANESE "WANT CHANGE"

Shortly after winning the majority in parliament on Monday, Hariri's opposition alliance vowed to meet popular desire for change.

He pledged to end what he said was widespread skepticism in Lebanon about the possibilities of genuine reforms.

"We have got to show people that we are not only here to talk," he told a nationally televised news conference. "We want change, we want to see new faces, we don't want a program that gets stuck in its wheels."

As Hariri's alliance had won the majority in parliament, the new balance of power will allow him to take the premiership if he chooses. But he said it was too early to talk of assuming premiership and he first wanted to try to win over his defeated rivals.

"We are trying to get a more broad alliance in discussion with other parties," he said. "Once we achieve that, we will discuss about the prime ministership."

Aoun already ruled out the possibility of joining a Hariri-led government, accusing his rival of "vote-buying" and pledging to go into opposition but there was no immediate word from his Shiite alliance.

However, the eight-seat majority won by Hariri's bloc falls short of the two-thirds majority required to change the constitution in order to oust pro-Syrian Lahoud, who has two more years in office after his term was extended last year by a controversial Damascus-backed constitutional amendment.

Hariri also ruled out any precipitate move to unseat the president.

"This is an issue that is quite sensitive in Lebanon," he said. "We will move with the sensitivity that it needs."

NEW BALANCE OF POWER CONDUCIVE TO LEBANON

Damascus's 30-year-long interference in Lebanon's internal affairs has worsened the conflict between the pro-Syria government and anti-Syria opposition, especially after last year's constitutional amendment aimed at extending the term of the presidency.

After Rafik al-Hariri was assassinated, the two sides had organized a serious of counter demonstrations in Beirut, which aroused concerns for the situation in Lebanon.

Although anti-Syrian forces hold the majority in parliament, pro-Syrian alliance led by Shiite factions Amal and Hezbollah also wields certain amount of legislative power with 35 seats in hand. Many Lebanese believe the new balance of power will help stabilize and improve the situation in the country.

Despite Lebanon's short-lived economic prosperity, decades of wars, turmoil and political fighting had held back its economic development. The Lebanese people hope that the new parliament will create conditions for the continued implementation of Rafik al- Hariri's economic development program.

Source: Xinhua