Saudi Arabia fails to sideline Hezbollah in Lebanon elections
The Hezbollah-supported list has won the municipal elections in Baalbek, according to a report by Al-Akhbar newspaper cited by webangah News Agency. This victory did not come easily, as Baalbek witnessed an intense political battle between Hezbollah and the Amal Movement on one side and Saudi-backed factions on the othre.
Following recent Israeli regime aggressions against lebanon, certain foreign parties—particularly Saudi Arabia—entered this year’s electoral alliances in Lebanon aiming to shift the political orientation of Baalbek residents.
Their tactics escalated to vote-buying and offering financial incentives to locals,with these efforts intensifying in the week leading up to elections. The campaign grew so contentious that some mosque preachers declared voting for the Amal-Hezbollah list a “sin.”
Unlike Beirut and tripoli where voter turnout remained low, participation in Baalbek reached 70%. the third phase of Lebanon’s municipal elections concluded in Beirut, Baalbek, and Al-Beqaa. Vote counting began last night, with preliminary results expected from Lebanon’s Interior Ministry soon.
Amin Shari, a Lebanese parliament member affiliated with Hezbollah’s bloc, confirmed that Shiite voters in Beirut exceeded 18,000.
Al-Manar TV reported that the Progress and Loyalty list leads its rival by over 4,000 votes in Baalbek. All 15 members of this list also secured necessary votes in Sahemar (Western Beqaa).
