Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption Women voting in Batroun, to the north of Beirut

Lebanon has held parliamentary elections for the first time in almost a decade.

The last elections in the country were in 2009, for what was supposed to be a four-year term.

But parliament extended its term twice due to instability in neighbouring Syria, and to reform the country's electoral laws.

It changed the voting system, reduced the number of districts, and allowed expatriate voting for the first time.

Hezbollah, the armed group considered a terrorist organisation by the United States and others, is seeking to increase its parliamentary representation.

Voting for all 128 seats was supposed to close at 19:00 local time (16:00 GMT), however it was extended by an hour at some polling stations.

Turnout was 49.2%, compared to 54% in 2009, Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk said.

Official results are not expected until Monday or Tuesday.

Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption Voters in the northern city of Tripoli cast their ballots

Tens of thousands of Lebanese citizens living aboard already cast their votes earlier this week - the first time such expatriate voting has been allowed.

The change is down to the new electoral system being used.

It reduces the number of districts, and uses a list-based proportional system for voting, with seats distributed among the various Christian and Islamic groups.

Lebanon has long had a power-sharing political system between the different religious denominations. The number of seats in parliament is split between Christians and Muslims, and the president, prime minister, and speaker of the parliament must each come from a specific religious background.

Current Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri caused a significant political crisis in November, when he fled the country for Saudi Arabia, announcing his resignation in a televised address in which he said he feared an assassination attempt.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri shows his ink-stained finger

He "suspended" his own resignation two weeks later after speaking to President Michel Aoun back in Lebanon, and withdrew his decision entirely in December.

The European Union said it had deployed election observers to all of Lebanon's voting districts.

Major issues facing the newly-elected parliament include the fate of a large number of refugees who have entered the country since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, and continuing economic difficulties.</s>The elections in Lebanese parliament were held for the first time since 2009. Over 3.6 million citizens over 21 years were included in the voting lists. Some 976 candidates have been tussling for 128 seats.

Israel’s Security Minister said that Hezbollah’s strong results in the Lebanese parliamentary election show that the state is indistinguishable from the Iranian-backed Shiite group and that Israel should not distinguish between them in any future war.

“The State of Israel will not differentiate between the sovereign State of Lebanon and Hezbollah, and will view Lebanon as responsible for any action from within its territory,” Education Minister Naftali Bennett said on Twitter.</s>A Lebanese election official empties a ballot box after the polling station closed during Lebanon's parliamentary election, in Beirut, Lebanon, 6 May 2018. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

BEIRUT – Hezbollah and its political allies won just over half the seats in Lebanon's parliamentary elections, unofficial results showed, boosting an Iranian-backed movement fiercely opposed to Israel and underlining Tehran's growing regional clout.

Branded a terrorist group by the United States, the heavily armed Shi'ite Hezbollah has grown in strength since joining the war in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad in 2012.

The apparent gains made on Sunday by a Hezbollah-backed alliance risk complicating Western policy towards Lebanon, a big recipient of US military support that is banking on foreign aid and loans to revive its stagnant economy.

An Israeli minister said the outcome, which has yet to be confirmed by official results, showed the Lebanese state was indistinguishable from Hezbollah, signalling the risk of Israel hitting Lebanon's government in a future war.

The unofficial tally in the first parliamentary elections in nine years indicated sharp losses for Western-backed Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri. But he was still set to emerge as the Sunni Muslim leader with the biggest bloc in the 128-seat house, making him the frontrunner to form the next government.

Iranian media appeared to gloat at Hariri setbacks; Iran’s hardline Tasnim news agency ran a report headlined: "Lebanese election result puts an end to Hariri’s monopoly among Sunnis."

Lebanon's prime minister must be a Sunni in the country's sectarian power-sharing system. The new government, like the outgoing one, is expected to include all the main parties. Talks over Cabinet posts are expected to take time.

"Hariri is going to be further weakened in any kind of government going forward," Andrew Tabler of the Washington Institute said. "His ability to substantially tame or restrain Hezbollah... in Lebanon is going to be very limited."

"It will lead to more criticism of US military aid to the Lebanese Armed Forces" in Washington, he added.

The election was held under a complex new law that redrew constituency boundaries and changed the electoral system from winner-takes-all to a proportional one. The official results were not declared on Monday morning as expected, and there was no new announcement of when they might be announced.

The staunchly anti-Hezbollah Lebanese Forces, a Christian party, however, emerged as a big winner, nearly doubling its MPs to at least 15 from eight, according to the initial indications.</s>Lebanon holds its first general election in nine years</s>Beirut, May 6 (IANS) Polling stations opened across Lebanon on Sunday for the first parliamentary elections in almost a decade.

The last elections in the country took place in 2009, for what was supposed to be a four-year term, reports the BBC.

But parliament extended its term twice due to instability in neighbouring Syria and to reform the country’s electoral laws.

Hezbollah is seeking to increase its parliamentary representation.

Voting for all 128 seats will continue till 7 p.m.

Official results are not expected until Monday or Tuesday, but analysts expect early details to emerge on Sunday night.

Tens of thousands of Lebanese citizens living aboard have already cast their votes earlier this week – the first time such expatriate voting has been allowed.

The change is due to the new electoral system being used, the BBC reported.

It also reduces the number of districts and uses a list-based proportional system for voting, with seats distributed among the various Christian and Islamic groups.

Lebanon has long had a power-sharing political system between the different religious denominations.

The number of seats in parliament is split between Christians and Muslims, and the president, prime minister, and speaker of the parliament must each come from a specific religious background.

The European Union said it has deployed election observers to all of Lebanon’s voting districts.

Major issues facing the newly-elected parliament include the fate of a large number of refugees who have entered the country since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, and continuing economic difficulties.</s>Parliamentary elections will be held in Lebanon on Sunday, voters will decide on the fate of all 128 seats in the country's legislature, Sputnik reported.

Until now, the March 8 Alliance group, including Hezbollah, has held 52 seats, while March 14 Alliance has had 50 seats.

Current Prime Minister Saad Hariri belongs to the Future Movement and is the leader of March 14 Alliance.</s>BEIRUT, May 7 (Reuters) - Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri said on Monday the international community should look at results of Lebanon's election in a "very positive way".

Lebanon on Sunday held its first parliamentary elections since 2009. Lebanon is under pressure to prove to international donors and investors -- who pledged more than $11 billion to Beirut last month -- that it has a credible plan to reform its economy. Holding elections was seen as a key part of this. (Reporting by Lisa Barrington Editing by Alison Williams)</s>An Israeli ministers said on Monday that high Hizbullah results in the country’s parliamentary elections, means Israel “will not differentiate” between Hizbullah and the State of Lebanon in any future war.

“The results of the elections in Lebanon have been based on our perception for some time: Lebanon equals Hizbullah,” said Israeli minister Naftali Bennet on Twitter.

“Israel will not differentiate between the sovereign State of Lebanon and Hizbullah and will see Lebanon responsible for any action emanating from its territory,” he added.

Lebanon staged its first legislative elections in nine years on Sunday, with polls marking a low turnout.

Although official results have not been yet announced, but Hizbullah was poised to seal a win in some electoral districts mainly in south Lebanon's second and thirds electoral districts.

The Hizbullah-AMAL Movement coalition's campaign also said its list won four seats in Beirut's second district -- one for Hizbullah, one for AMAL, one for al-Ahbash and one for the Free Patriotic Movement.</s>Lebanese voted Sunday for a new parliament for the first time since 2009, with enthusiasm in many places and apathy in others. Elections for a new electoral body have been repeatedly postponed since 2013, amid turmoil due to the Syrian civil war.

Supporters of outgoing Prime Minister Saad Hariri chanted his name, after he cast his ballot and left the polling place, surrounded by supporters.

He says that hopefully every Lebanese citizen will do his civic duty and turn out to cast his ballot for the candidates of his choice and that this is a sign the country is in good health.

Arab media speculated Hariri would likely be asked to form a new national unity government after the election, replacing the one over which he currently presides.

President Michel Aoun, who was elected in 2016 after a nearly two-and-a-half year political deadlock left the presidency vacant, told voters after casting his ballot, that it is the duty of voters to pass judgement on those who represent them.

He says parliament is the seat of most power in the country and voting is a sacred duty. Voters, he insists, must not throw away their power to reward or punish those who represent them.

Security was tight to prevent tensions from spilling over near most polling stations and Interior Minister Nouhad Mashnouk said things appeared to be under control.

He says that he is going around the country to make sure the election goes smoothly. He added that there has been a strong turnout.

Arab news channels showed video of what they claimed was a woman candidate being harassed by Hezbollah supporters in southern Lebanon. VOA could not independently confirm the claim.

Veteran Lebanese Christian political leader Dory Chamoun tells VOA he and many other Lebanese are eager to cast their ballots "after a long drought," as he put it.

"It was about time we had those parliamentary elections, except that the electoral law, which they came out with, is not exactly something that is an example of democracy," he said.

Chamoun said that he hoped the pro-Western alliance to which he belongs would "win up to 18 seats" in the new parliament, but that he "was not optimistic," given the flaws in the electoral law.

Under Lebanon’s new electoral system, voters cast two votes: one for a list of candidates and another for their preferred candidate within that list. A special formula based on the preferential vote determines who gets the seats.

Many Lebanese political observers are expecting Hezbollah to strengthen its position in parliament. Lebanon's 128 seat parliament is divided equally between Christians and Muslims.</s>BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon's polling stations opened Sunday for the first parliamentary elections in nine years, with people lining up early in the morning to take part in a vote that is being fiercely contested between rival groups backed by regional powers.

Thousands of army and police forces deployed near polling stations and on major intersections across the country to ensure security amid heightened tensions. Electoral campaigns have been tense as each group has mobilized its supporters, with fist fights and shootings occurring in several areas in recent weeks.

The main race is between a Western-backed coalition headed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group. The vote also reflects regional tensions between Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia and Iran, which back the rival groups.

"This shows Lebanon's democracy and the importance of democracy. This is a democratic wedding and as we said from the start, congratulations to whoever wins tonight," said Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk, who is running on Hariri's list, after casting his ballot in Beirut.

As Hariri entered a public school to vote, a woman in a wheelchair complained that polling stations were not equipped for disabled voters.

"We are human beings. It is not fair that we have to be carried like bags of potatoes," the woman, Silvana Lakkis, said. The prime minister promised to address the problem in the next elections.

"When we see what is happening in countries around us and Lebanon is having elections this shows that the situation in Lebanon is good," Hariri said after waiting around 20 minutes to cast his ballot.

The vote is the first since Syria's war broke out in 2011. Hezbollah has sent thousands of fighters to back President Bashar Assad's forces, a move that has been criticized by many Lebanese, mainly Sunni Muslims and Christians, who see the group as pulling the country into regional conflicts.

Leading Hezbollah legislator Ali Ammar defended his group's involvement in Syria, saying it protected Lebanon from the "evil powers" of the Islamic State group and al-Qaida.

The house's term was supposed to expire in 2013, but lawmakers have approved several extensions since then, citing security concerns linked to the spillover from Syria's war. Lebanese who support opposing sides in the war have clashed on a number of occasions, and Sunni extremists have carried out several bombings. The war next door has driven more than a million Syrian refugees into Lebanon, straining the tiny country's economy and infrastructure.

There are about 3.6 million eligible voters, and early results are expected after polling stations close at 7 p.m. (1600 GMT). Some 586 candidates, including 86 women, are running for the 128-seat parliament, which is equally divided between Muslims and Christians.

This year's vote is according to a new election law that is based on proportional representation. Voters will choose one list of allied candidates, as well as a preferred candidate from among them.

In the past, the winning list took all the seats in the electoral district.

Hezbollah and its allies are likely to add more seats, while Hariri is likely to lose several. Some of his Sunni supporters see him as being too soft on Hezbollah, and the billionaire businessman has also faced criticism after laying off scores of employees from his companies in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.

Still, Hariri will most likely be named to form a national unity Cabinet after the vote. Rival sides can hardly govern effectively without each other, and are expected to recreate the unity government that currently exists, which includes Hezbollah.

The vote comes a week after Lebanese living oversees voted in 39 countries around the world for the first time ever.
Lebanon holds its first parliamentary election since 2009.